Solar Flare
by qwertykid
Summary: Bayonetta could never remembered such a time when her life was as screwed as it was. Her friend is dead. Her brother is missing. A Lumen Sage seeks vengeance on her. A mysterious mountain holds the vault for the answers why, and her new companion is the key to it all. Sequel to Eclipse, and contains OC and story deviations. Main pairings: LukaXBayonetta, JeanneXOC and BalderXRosa
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: Welcome to Solar Flare, the sequel to Eclipse, another story of mine. You'll probably need to read that before you read this, since this will not make that much sense without the context. Now, the story incorporates some Final Fantasy 7 references, but not as much as before, or enough to warrant calling it out in the disclaimer. _

_Some things to note:  
__ \- Bayonetta is somewhat OOC, but for the most part is untouched.  
\- I'm going to be delving into a lot of headcannon, so the lore of Bayonetta 2 is somewhat thrown out the window.  
\- Loptr's character is majorly changed to not be 'generic evil villain.'  
\- This is a retelling of Bayonetta 2, a game I do not much experience with, so forgive me for any inconsistencies with the game knowledge and my own (plus google!)_

_Without further ado, I don't own Bayonetta, merely the idea for this story. Enjoy!_

Prologue

_500 years in the past._

…

A lone figure stood amongst the ruins of the Sunrise Valley. Bodies of slain men surrounded him, the stench of death and decaying flesh filling his nostrils. Gagging slightly, he looked to the sky.

"How did this happen…?" He whispered to himself, letting his long, silver hair float around in the breeze. "Why did this happen?"

He could feel his power seeping back into his bones. When he discovered he could wield the light again, he immediately threw his exile restrictions to the winds and made his way back to his old home, fearing the worst.

Those fears did not go unanswered. His fist clenched, then tightened as he remembered the faces of the bodies strewn about; many he had played with as a child, and had grown to be his Lumen brothers. And now they were all dead, and only he remained.

"Who could have done this?" He asked the sky, desperately looking for an answer.

"The Umbra Witches…" A disembodied voice called from behind him. "They were manipulated by a greater force."

The man whipped around and saw a blue portal shimmering in the air, showing the silhouette of a mountain in the background. "Who are you? And how do you know this?"

"Come, Lumen Sage." The voice chuckled. "I will show you the truth and allow you the chance for revenge. Is that not all you desire?"

"How can I trust you?" The man drew himself up, staring down the portal. "I do not know what you are!"

"Trust me, Sage." A figure stepped out of the portal and reached out to him. "You can learn everything."

"Tell me what I need to know." The Sage stood steadfast against the blue figure. "And then I will decide on whether I want to join you in your little game."

"You are looking for a being that refers to itself as Loki…" The figure dropped his arm and began to talk.

…

_The present._

…

The statue of Jubelius lay scattered across the country side, and from the right eye of the statue's mostly intact head fell out a battered and dirty man. He was glowing blue as a spirit was trying to escape him, trying to pull itself out of his back.

"Not on my watch, you monster!" The man shouted with authority as he pulled it back into himself, golden chains wrapping around the spirit, containing it yet again, crawling to his knees as he did so. "You will die with me, on this day!"

He ripped off his half mask and threw it to the ground. "Never again shall a blight like you or me will stain this land no more. They deserved better, all of them."

He pulled out a monocle and placed it on as he felt his heart falter. "I am sorry for everything Luka; your father was just trying to do good in this world."

He collapsed to all fours. "I wished I had never met you Jeanne, for your sake. I am sorry for everything I have done to hurt you."

He fell to his stomach. "Thank you for keeping your promise, Cereza. You have made me the proudest father you could imagine. My dear, sweet child. My love for you is insurmountable…."

His sight began to dim. "And to my greatest creation, Damien. I bequeath you my greatest treasure. May it serve you well, and better than it has served me."

His Right Eye faded, and the blue energy dissipated into the air. He smiled as he breathed his last.

…

_1 year later…_

…

Luka shivered as he stepped into the bar, noticing the glares and glances the other patrons were sending his way. Walking around, he approached the counter and leaned against it, careful to leave a space next to him.

"You there." The bartender pointed at him. "We don't like your kind of people here. We also don't serve them."

"I'm not here for socialising or drinking." Luka answered. "I'm here for information."

"Oh yeah?" The man answered, cleaning a mug with a cloth. "Information is a hard drink to come by, sonny."

Luka slipped out a wad of cash from his sleeve. "I've heard so too. That's only one of several, mister, and I'm willing to pay whatever it takes."

The man raised an eyebrow at the money. "Well, you certainly have my interest now, stranger. What information do you want?"

"I want to speak to him. Your little weapon."

The bar went silent at his statement. Then it exploded into laughter.

"You think you can just demand to see our resident assassin?" The bartender doubled over. "He allows no one to see him, let alone mention his name."

"Sephiroth will allow his friends to see him." Jeanne stepped out of Purgatorio beside him and pointed a gun at his head. "And his closer ones too."

The bar went silent as the Umbra Witch stood there in all her glory. Her red couture dress was gone, replaced with a tight-fitting leather biking suit with long, thigh high boots. Her hair was now hip length, and partially covered her face. She glared at the bartender, and her uncovered left eye squinting at him, daring him to make a move.

"The witch in red!" One of the patrons whispered. "That's his lover!"

"His former lover." Another whispered. "I heard she threw him out!"

"She must have gotten bored of him. There's no way I would let a specimen like him go."

"Maybe she is a bitch, and she just used him for his power? I honestly would."

Jeanne stiffened, and looked down, shaking slightly. All these people were reminding her of why they were here, and why she was here in particular.

The bartender's eyes unfocussed, and he spaced out. He shook his head, and then pointed at the door to his left. "He will see you now."

…

The winged man stood against the window, his silhouette contrasting the light. Luka and Jeanne entered, and both smiled with relief as they saw him.

"Damien!" Jeanne stepped forward, and then froze as he held up a hand. Struggling, she felt that she could not move; her muscles had frozen.

Stupid paralysis spells. Why did she teach him those?

"Why are you here?" He asked, not bothering to turn around. His voice sounded, for the lack of a better term, dead. Gone was the innocence, the joy and the hope; now it was nothing but a barren wasteland of despair.

"Damien, we all miss you." Luka stepped forward, only to freeze as well.

"Stop calling me that." He turned around finally. He only wore a coat and pants, opting to be shirtless. His silver hair was grimy and dirty, and his eyes were surrounded by black circles. The eyes themselves, were lifeless. "Why are you here?"

"Damien, it's your bloody name!" Jeanne shook her head as she broke free of his light paralysis spell. "You deserve to be called that!"

"Deserve what?" His voice went flat, and a cold feeling formed in her stomach. "What do I deserve, Jeanne? Tell me; hat could I possibly deserve from you."

The witch began to break down, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Damien, what are you doing to yourself?"

"Why the fuck should it matter to you!?" He roared. "You tossed me away, you decided I wasn't worth it anymore, that I was nothing but another toy for you, and now you come to drag me back?! Well guess what, Jeanne? I have people who care about me now, and not just someone who has a martyr complex who wanted to feel better about themselves."

The words stung her and the truth of them was a gut punch. He was right, and she knew she could not reply without sounding like a hypocrite.

"I was curious about what brought you here, but if you are going to try and drag me back to your little world, then I don't care." He turned back, reforming the silhouette.

"What about your sister?" Jeanne snarled.

He stiffened, but did not answer. Jeanne took this as an opportunity to continue, and she began to approach him.

"Out of all of us, she is the one that misses you the most." She lied slightly, advancing on him. "When you disappeared initially, she fell into depression, and nearly insanity. You nearly destroyed her, because of your actions. If she found out that you, the once proud hero to this planet and its people, was nothing but a husk of his former self and was nothing but a prostitute to be exploited, she would kill herself. And if she found out why I did what I did because of you, she would agree with me."

He looked down, then turned around. "You left me because I saved you. She would never agree to toss out the person that saved them."

"It was my contract to bear." She shook her head. "The consequences will be disastrous for you!"

"I don't care." He turned away. "Leave me."

"Damien-" She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he shoved her away.

"I said leave me! Don't come back!" He yelled. "I don't want anything more to do with you! You are nothing but the exploiter, Jeanne! You only ever gave me my little haven so you could feel better about murdering thousands! Just remember Jeanne, who is the real villain here!"

Seconds passed as the words hung in the air.

"You don't mean that." Jeanne stepped back, a hand covering her mouth, her eyes releasing the tears. "You don't…"

"Jeanne, don't." Luka placed a hand on her shoulder. "He has made up his mind. Yeah, I don't like it, but you two butting heads forever won't solve anything."

Damien turned and gestured to the door. "Get out of my life."

Luka put his arm around her shoulder as they turned, comforting her softly as they left.

…

Bayonetta walked the streets of San Francisco, smiling softly at the atmosphere. She was dressed in what she referred to as her Sunday best; a white, open dress with black leggings, and a wide brimmed hat. She carried her white purse in one hand, and the other was fiddling with a lollipop, taken from Luka's stash back at their apartment.

The other people on the street gave her nods of recognition, and a couple waved at her. She waved back, noting that none of them were like the crazy fans she had in other parts of the country.

Eugh.

Two children approached her, shyly looking up at her. She pulled the lollipop out and leaned over.

"Hello, little ones." She said warmly.

"Hi, Miss Bayonetta!" They chirped, smiling widely at their acknowledgement. They looked at each other in excitement, as if they couldn't believe their luck.

"Are you two trying to talk to me?" She asked, shaking her head slightly in amusement. "You know, I don't mind talking to new people. Although, most of them are not worth my time. What would you two like to say?"

"We just wanted to say thank you, Miss." The girl on the right started. "For being the hero, the one we needed a year ago."

"Has it been a year?" She checked her watch and raised an eyebrow. "Wow, it has been a year. Time does fly. Well, little ones, I was just doing my duty as an Umbra. Nothing too special."

"Miss, where's Sephiroth?" The boy on the left asked. "We miss him."

Her eyes watered slightly at the mention of her missing brother. "He has his own path now. When he decides to come back, that will be up to him. I can't make him."

The pair looked at her eyes, and their eyes softened in understanding. They reached up, standing on their toes, and gave her a small hug. Returning it, she smiled and stood back up. "Thank you, little ones. I really needed that. Now run along; I'm sure your parents are missing you."

The pair ran off, chittering amongst themselves with unsubdued excitement. She watched them run off, fantasizing over their innocence, and then continued onwards. Turning into the apartment building, she took off her hat as she nodded to the secretary, and then stepped into the elevator.

Arriving at the 11th floor, she stepped out and walked through the corridor, into their apartment.

"Hey." Luka greeted her, and she smiled in relief. He was back from whatever errand he was up to. "Do I have to tell you that you look gorgeous?"

"I try my best." She replied, running a gloved hand through her hair, adjusting the new style. She had now opted for a pixie cut, and the unfamiliar lack of weight was getting to her. "I see you are back from whatever you did."

"Yeah…" He sounded sad, and looked down at the ground. "It wasn't successful."

Unzipping the dress, she slipped out of it, letting it fall to the ground. A shirt was offered to her, and she accepted it wordlessly. Taking off her heels, she grabbed the discarded clothes and began to fold them.

"What happened?" She asked as she placed the dress onto the dining table, turning her attention to him.

"We found Damien." He answered, tears forming in his eyes.

"What?!" Her mind was whirling as she turned to him, face in shock. "How?"

"He works for a mafia boss now." He shook his head, like he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Doing their dirty work and living the life of a criminal."

"…Why?" She asked, walking over to him. "Why would he do that?"

"He said that he has people who now care about him…" Luka punched the wall in anger, immediately regretting the action two seconds later. "Which is fucking bullshit!"

"It's Jeanne." Bayonetta realised as she gently examined her partner's hand, welcoming the distraction. "Her rejection of him from that day must have broken him."

"I guess so…" Luka looked at her, despair in his eyes. "He looks like shit, he acts like shit, he's not listening to anyone who cares about him; Bayo, he is going to die in that cesspool!"

"Where is he?" She asked, her eyes trying to find hope in his.

There was none.

"Some fucking random place down south. I don't know why he chose there, I don't know why!" He screamed in anger. "He's a fucking idiot!"

"I will talk to him, I promise." She looked at him gravely. "After I've finished helping Enzo with his shopping tomorrow; not a minute after will I spend procrastinating. I'm going to drag him back here and make him explain himself."

Luka smiled as he calmed down. "Only you could make that work."

She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "That I could. Now, let's get some ice for that hand, and then I want some cuddling. A lot of cuddling, mind you, to make up for the fact you haven't been here for a week."

"Yes, Ma'am." He teased but followed her anyway.

She took three steps into the kitchen when she turned around and embraced him tightly, tears spilling from eyes. Crying into his shoulder, she trembled as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I miss him so much…" She whispered. "I just want him back…"

"We all miss him." Luka answered, rubbing her back with his good hand. "When he is back, we will take turns in beating him up, and then we can hug him and squeeze him and let him know we all care about him."

He reached down and picked her up, bridal style. Carrying her over to the couch in the next room, he sat them both down. She snuggled up to him, and he kept his arms wrapped around her. Reaching up, he pulled off her glasses and began to clean them for her.

"Luka…" Her voice was regaining its normal tone. "What did I tell you about my glasses?"

"You deserved to be pampered sometimes." He smiled, placing them back on her. "Wait here, I'll get some ice for me and I'll mix some drinks for you."

She smiled at him, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I really don't know how to thank you."

"You don't need to." He disconnected her limbs from his and stood up. "Again, you deserve to be pampered sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" She peered at him, faking a serious look. "Luka, I deserve to be pampered all the time."

"Heh, I can't quite argue with that." He laughed. "Maybe we'll do a little pampering a little later tonight?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled deviously. "I haven't been pampered for a week, Cheshire. That's a lot of lost time you have to make up for."

His smile faded, replaced by a look of fear. He swallowed as her look went predatorial, and small beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"A lot of lost time." He repeated, his nervousness bleeding into his speech. "Uh, Bayonetta, I don't think I have the stamina to do that again…"

"You will." She continued to stare at him longingly. "I'll make sure you will."


	2. Chapter 1: World of Chaos

_Author's note: I don't own anything from Bayonetta._

Chapter 1: World of Chaos

_Bayonetta felt his hand slammed against her head, and she flew back and fell into a heap. Recovering slightly, she felt the prick of a sword at her throat. _

"_That's enough, Damien." An old man called out from behind the winged man. The katana stayed at her throat, and she saw the Lumen look-alike staring at her with nothing but contempt. She refused to look at his belt, where she knew Luka's head was hanging as a trophy._

"_My daughter, Cereza." Balder stepped forward to beside the man, peering down at her with curious eyes. "The last of the resistance on this planet, and the most elusive wielder of the Left Eye."_

"_I already know that, you motherfu-." Bayonetta spat out, and then screamed in agony as the katana expertly sliced through her vocal chords._

"_I said that was enough." The Sage's voice was angry. Damien grunted in amusement as a familiar figure in red walked to beside him. Balder answered his grunt with a look of displeasure. "You know I do not like seeing my blood suffer."_

"_Calm down, Balder." Jeanne smiled in triumph. "She doesn't need to speak, doesn't she? And don't lie to yourself, you are enjoying this as much as we are."_

"_I suppose." The sage smiled and leaned over. "Now, will we have to do this the hard way, or the easy way, Cereza? You can just hand over that Eye right now, and you will be spared, or you will die and we will take it from your corpse. It's a simple choice, that even someone of your idiocy should be able to make."_

_She spat blood onto his face, glaring defiantly. Closing his eyes, Balder grabbed one of her sleeves and wiped himself clean._

"_I suppose you have made your choice." His hardened tone sent a small chill down her spine. "Finish her. She is of no use any longer; delaying the resurrection any longer is now considered treason, by punishment of death."_

_She continued to glare as Damien drew back the Shuraba, and then thrust it into her face._

…

Bayonetta sat up, awake and alert. Breathing heavily, she quickly turned to the right and her heart calmed when she saw Luka still alive, snoring heavily. Shaking her head, she quietly swung herself out of the bed and walked out onto the balcony, not caring if anyone saw her in her current state of undress.

That nightmare felt too real. Something about it hit too close to home. It felt like that was an alternative future, if Damien had stayed under Balder's influence.

Damien…

Why had he done all he had done in the last year? He had done so much to hurt them all of them in such a small period of time. It made her feel helpless that he simply disappeared after not taking responsibility for his mistakes, and now he was just a pawn in the underground, working for people who did unspeakable things, like she was for a brief time.

It didn't matter, she reflected to herself. An hour of shopping with Enzo for Christmas presents would be enough to calm her psyche to deal with him. Returning to the bed, she slipped underneath the covers and into Luka's arms, curling up against him. The man subconsciously wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

One more night. She promised herself as she drifted back to sleep. The he would be sitting on the chair opposite her, Jeanne and Luka as they would sit down and talk about everything, and to try and fix their mistakes one by one.

...

Damien stared at the window, letting his thoughts consume him. It was his fault, couldn't they all see? He didn't want to go back, it was his issues and attempted fixing of situations well out of his skill level that caused this whole situation to begin with.

He deserved to rot. Such a creation like him did not deserve to live.

"There's someone here to see you." A timid voice called to him. Not bothering to turn around, he shook his head.

"Tell them I don't want any visitors." He lifted his hair out of his eyes, but let it fall back to obscure his face from the reflection on the window. He didn't want to see himself; why would anyone want to see him?

"Sir, he's-" The voice of his servant was cut as he was dragged out of the way, and he heard a yelp as he was tossed aside.

"I've been sent here for a good reason, Damien." An unexpected voice replaced it. " And I'm not taking no as any acceptable answer."

"Rodin?" He turned, surprised at the man's appearance, pulling the hair out of his eyes and letting the strands fall behind his ears. "What are you doing here?"

The weaponsmith was dressed in a Santa costume, minus the beard and moustache. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but the winged man could feel their disapproval and disappointment either way.

"As I was, once upon a time, the real Santa, I thought I could be the one to deliver your presents from your friends." He held up a sack and pulled out a green box.

"I don't have friends." He answered, looking at the box with suspicion. "I am by myself now."

"Don't be so dramatic." Rodin scoffed. "You still do. A certain someone still cares about you a lot, even though you've treated them like, well, crap."

"They sent this?" He gestured to the box in his hands. "For what purpose could they want to send me a present?"

"I don't know kid, but if I were you, I'd man up and accept that you are not helping anyone being here in this little place of hell." Rodin placed the green box onto a small stand next to him. "Just remember, all they want is what is best for you."

"What is best for me is to fade away!" Damien shook his head, his bangs falling back into his eyes. "I hurt Jeanne and Bayonetta for lying for so long, and then hurt them further with the Balder issues, and the contract stuff!"

"Look, I don't really care for your problems and how they came to be." The weaponsmith regarded him with a patient look. "But I do care about you, since you were my patient once. Now, letting yourself die here is not going to help your cause, since your death is going to result in a hell of a lot more people being sad than just me. Jeanne has since regretted what she said, and the same goes with Bayonetta. They honestly don't care about why you left, or how the situation came to be; all they want know is to know that you are, or going to be, ok and are not going to fall into the clutches of Styx, Butterfly or Khepri anytime soon."

Damien looked down, mulling over his words. His hair fell out and back around his face, obscuring him again.

"Now, I have another delivery I gotta make today, so I can't stick around much longer. If you want to stay here like a stuck pig, then I will have to inform them that you are willing to die over nothing, and I don't want to face the wrath of those women. Else, meet me at the Gates tomorrow. I'll get you a new uniform, since your current one looks like someone fucked it." Rodin grabbed his sack and slung it over his shoulder. "Make your decision wisely."

He disappeared in a puff of red smoke. Left alone, Damien reached out and grabbed the green box and opened it. Inside was three things: a photo, a letter and a small, black box. Taking out the letter, he read it, lips pursing.

_Damien,_

_We both know that we haven't been on the best of terms lately. Ever since I left us, and you all found me, I've been thinking about my reaction to everything that has transpired. And it has left me with a sick taste in my mouth, because who can blame you for what you did? You simply tried to help me, before I could do something stupid and hurt everyone around me. I wished you didn't have to be so secretive about it, especially with you now being the bearer of my contract. Doing these things behind my back hurt me, a lot deeper than you can imagine. _

_But I forgive you. You were simply trying your best to help us all, and I do appreciate that. I feel happy that someone cared enough to even consider changing the terms of my contract, and I'm honestly amazed that you managed to._

_I don't know why you can live with me, from everything I've done to you. I don't know how you can look at me, from what I've done to you. I don't know how you can feel anything remotely positive about me. I don't understand you._

_Did Balder break you? I don't know, but I don't care anymore. I have to get this off my chest. I was thinking about my relationship with you, and I can honestly say that I miss you. The last person I felt this way about was Cereza, and it scares me, more than you can know. I feel scared that you will reject me, as you know who I have been personally. But I also feel excited, and I don't know why._

_We all miss you. Please come back to us._

_I miss you,_

_Jeanne De'Arc_

He placed the letter onto the floor as he collapsed to his knees. He felt sick to his stomach. Closing his eyes, he tried to keep himself from throwing up. Once the nausea passed, he reopened his eyes and tenderly grabbed out the photo.

It was of him and Jeanne, when the four of them had visited Switzerland. They were smiling, both with pure joy, as they were building an intricate snowman. His eyes watered as he remembered that picture; Luka had taken the picture secretly, and once they were shown it, both him and Jeanne did not speak for a week out of pure embarrassment. It was his favourite photo, and when he lived there, he had placed it onto his nightstand for him to look at before he fell asleep, to remind him of one of the happiest times of his life.

Placing it on top of the letter, he grabbed out the black box. Opening it, he gasped.

Inside lay a golden Umbran watch. Gingerly, he pulled it out and opened it.

_This watch was made with the material normally used for a Lumen Sage monocle or half-mask. It should be able to work with you, since you are half Umbran. _

Reading the description, he closed it and his eyes, tears falling. He knew Jeanne had made this for him. Or at least helped Rodin make it.

His decision was made. He gripped the watch tighter as he opened his eyes, his purpose renewed.

…

Bayonetta placed yet another gift onto the ever-growing pile of presents that Enzo was somehow still holding. The short fat man was struggling from the volume of them, and it somewhat impressed her that he could still carry them, let alone walk with them.

"You know what I need?" She asked, fiddling with the lollipop in her mouth. "A pair of heels without guns. Do you mind if we take a stop for them?"

"Like we haven't made a million fucking stops already!" Enzo replied, irate. "First, we have the thousands of presents you've gotta get for your little group of friends, then we had the millions of people who show up to talk to you, because you're the biggest fucking celebrity in town right now, and we still haven't done anything I wanted to do yet? Don't you know what it is in one week from now? Christmas! The season of motherfucking spreading joy and merriment, and I ain't feeling any joy yet!"

"Now now, is that any way to speak to an old friend?" She turned around and regarded him for a second. "Must I remind you that I have done most of the jobs you wanted done over the past year or so without hitches? And for free, I might add. Annnnnd not to mention, this was your idea."

Enzo sighed, but continued trotting after her. "This is why I can't have good things."

The pair walked in relative silence, the only sounds being the click of her heels, her greetings to several other people, and the almost inaudible sounds of her tongue on the lollipop.

"You're a piece of work, don't you know that? If you weren't already on your way to Inferno, you'd be well on your way with the shit you pull!" He yelled after her, startling some passers-by and drawing some glares from most of them. "Dressing up like a nun so you can off some angels and keep the underworld happy!"

A present fell onto his face, quietening him for the time being. Waving to a group of children that recognised her, she felt a small pang of sadness form in her heart as she remembered the permanently missing fifth member of their troupe. Shaking her head, she remembered that keeping Cereza around would have simply destroyed the past, and Butterfly knows what would have happened from there.

Turning to the right, she stepped out of the sunlight and back into the shade. Walking into the shoe store she most definitely loved, she vaguely heard Enzo rambling on about something in the background. The attendant stood at attention as she recognised her and smiled a welcoming smile.

"Lady Bayonetta." She bowed respectfully. "Welcome."

"Oh please, none of that." She reached over and lifted the girl up from her bow. "I'm not a goddess. Well, not yet."

"What do you desire?" The attendant asked, gesturing to the racks behind her. Picking out some black heels, she paid and left the store not a minute later. Placing the bag on top of the pile of presents, she smiled in satisfaction as she adjusted her hat in the reflection of the glass.

"Done and done." She turned to the mortal. "Let's go home, Enzo."

"Hey! Wait a second! I ain't done here!" He panicked at the sound of her heels walking away. "If I don't get what I came for, I'm going to be the biggest mutt in the city!"

"You'd best be off then." She glanced at the watch Luka had gotten her for their year anniversary and noted she had about twenty minutes before her imposed time limit was up. "What is it that you came to fetch, my dear?"

"Yeah, real funny!" Enzo shot back. "I know better than to tell you a damn thing! I'll never hear the fuckin' end of it."

A flash of silver and red appeared in front of Enzo, and he screamed and threw the presents into the air as the bike hurtled to a stop.

Sighing, Bayonetta held one hand out as Jeanne did the same, catching the presents as they fell. Removing her goggles, the witch in red revealed a heavily made up face to her, her eyes blank and her expression forcibly calm.

_She's hiding herself._ She could not recall a time when Jeanne was as dolled up as she was now, and the times she did remember her make-up being close to this level was when she was highly emotional. This did not bode well.

"You always know how to make an entrance, Jeanne." She greeted her Umbran sister and she placed the stack of presents onto the ground, Jeanne following her lead. "Although, it is a rare sight to see you in the city."

"I was around." Her tone was raw, and unemotional. Bayonetta's eyes softened at the pain her friend was in, and her anger towards their missing friend grew. "Something I had to look into."

"Did it involve Cheshire?" She asked, walking to beside her as Jeanne folded her arms and sat on the bike.

"I don't want to discuss that, not here." Jeanne's voice began to crack, but she pulled herself together. "Have you felt anything strange recently, Cereza?"

"Now that you mention it, I still haven't figured out how a broke, bumbling undertaker managed to turn himself into a respectable family man." They both observed Enzo standing up, trying to rebalance the pile of presents onto himself.

"Fuhgeddaboudit!" He retorted. "Now that your ug- friend is here, you can entertain yourselves while I go and do my own thing!"

Turning on his heel, the man walked towards a toy shop.

"I wonder too." Jeanne's icy voice trailed after him. "But no, that is not what I am here for."

"Tell me." Bayonetta turned to her.

"Our friends in Paradiso are far too quiet… I'm sure you have noticed." She turned as well. "I haven't heard from Hope in about three months, and the last thing she did say was that everything upstairs was preparing for something."

Bayonetta narrowed her eyes and tapped her glasses to quickly peer into Purgatorio. As usual, nothing was there, as it had been for the past three months.

"And that's not the only thing you've noticed either." Jeanne stated, and her head snapped to hers.

"Pray tell." She answered, her eyes asking for more information.

"Our friends in Inferno are also a bit upset as well."

Bayonetta walked forward, her Left Eye beginning to whisper to her. Barely hearing the announcement from the city's news reporter, she felt her hat blow off from a jet flyby as it began to tell her that something was wrong.

"My Eye is a little… tempered." She stated as Jeanne walked to her, catching and putting her hat back onto her head. "There's still something in this world that shouldn't be."

"That's why I'm wary." She replied. "I can still sense the Right Eye in this world."

The witch in white narrowed her eyes. "So can I."

Brushing her hair to her back, Jeanne looked at her with both eyes. "Cereza, we will discuss this soon. Not here."

"I agree." She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes. "I have a date I have to make soon, and I'd rather not be late."

"I'll go and pick up the things we need for the party." Jeanne pulled down her goggles. "Luka told me what you were planning last night. Good luck. If any of us can reach him, it's you."

"He will be back tonight." She gave the witch a comforting smiled. "I promise, Jeanne."

The witch in red managed a small smile back. "Caviar, wasn't it?"

Revving the engine, she shot off, weaving into the traffic like a knife through butter. Bayonetta watch her ride, her resolve steeling at the prospect of the next half an hour.

Looking up at the jets, she squinted as she felt something happening with them. Narrowing her eyes, she noticed something felt off.

One of the jets broke formation and started flying towards her. The smell of rosemary hit her nose, and she almost smiled. Then she remembered what day it was, and what she was wearing.

"You must know…" She growled as she glared at the jet barrelling down towards her, her hat flying off. "I try to avoid doing this in my Sunday best."

Giving the jet a swift kick, it flew up into the air, spiralling out of control. Some mortals screamed, whereas most gave off a huge cheer. Ignoring them, she twirled her hands and opened a portal to Purgatorio, and then jumped after the flying jet.

Landing onto it, she noticed several flying angels on the jet and some surrounding it. These were no Affinities, she realised very quickly. For starters, they looked like centaurs, and not overgrown turkeys.

"Upgrades?" She gave them a wink. "At least you still know how to make an entrance."

Leaping at them, she felt their blades cut through her dress as she tried to get behind them. Slipping out of it, she felt her new Umbran armour form over her body, creating a skin-tight battlesuit. Gone was the sleeves, and they were replaced with a cloak of hair forming around her upper body. A diamond pattern showing off patches of her legs lined the back of them, and the suit itself was almost navy blue in coloration. Landing back onto the jet in a crouch, she felt a familiar presence next to her.

"This interruption is the worst." Jeanne said sarcastically. Summoning out the All 4 One, she pointed them at the new angels. "Please tell me Rodin has fulfilled your request for upgrades."

"Not yet." Bayonetta pulled out four handguns and attached two to her feet. "But I do have these."

"Mortal trash." Jeanne muttered. "Don't get in my way, ok?"

Moving swiftly, the pair engaged the angels in a flurry of bullets and punches.

…

Enzo struggled with his car as he watched the chaos seemingly unfold above him.

"Just my fucking luck!" He cursed as he fumbled with his keys. "Of course, they bloody return now!"

A shimmering sound rippled through the air, and his eyes widened at the man appearing from the red smoke.

"R-Ro-" He swallowed. "Rodin?"

"Hi Enzo. You still haven't paid off your tabs yet." The man greeted him, a fake moustache and beard affixed to his face. "Now, I'm feeling festive, so move over."

"But I don't believe in Santa!" He replied in disbelief.

The bartender grabbed him by the collar. "Angels are evil, demons are real and a god walks this Earth. Of course Santa is real."

"I believe…" Enzo was madly saying to himself. "I fucking believe!"

"And so you should." Touching the wheel, the car unnaturally revved to life. Speeding off, he used a parked car as an impromptu ramp and launched the car at the side of the building, landing onto it and driving on it like nothing.

"I FUCKING BELIEVE!" Enzo was screaming; whether it was in joy or fear was another question. Rodin had noticed that Bayonetta and company were now flying anti-parallel to them, and he stood up, opening his sack.

"Bayonetta!" He called out, and the witch in black looked up from her riding of one of the new angels. Smirking at him, she opened a portal to Purgatorio and held her hands out. Tossing the blue, heart-shaped box at her, he folded his arms in satisfaction. Pulling out a cigar, he jumped out of the speeding vehicle and landed onto the ground, leaving a small crater in the tarmac. Lighting it with his thumb, he smiled at the carnage appearing on top of the plane, and the halos that fell to the ground within his reach.

"Beautiful." He simply said as he caught the toy jet that Enzo had been buying earlier. He heard the car land behind him, Enzo bouncing into it, but knew the man would survive. After all, he had a debt to pay off.

…

Bayonetta shot the last of the angels, and watched with apathy as it fell off the jet and plummeted to the ground.

"I think." She turned to Jeanne, who was wicked kicking an angel off. "I'm going to call these guns Love is Blue."

"What, because they are blue?" The witch in red answered, annoyed. "Surely you have more important things than the bloody names of your weapons right now!"

A sword came flipping out of nowhere and sliced the jet in two. Leaping off it before it crashed into a building, the pair landed onto a bridge, watching as several gigantic angels began to pour out of Paradiso, all heading towards the bartender.

"Please tell me you at lease recognise one of them." Bayonetta snarled to herself, and she heard Jeanne growl beside her.

"I haven't the fucking clue. It seems Paradiso was hiding something this whole time."

A tremor from behind them drew their attention. Turning around, they saw what appeared to be a Beloved, but instead it was more beastlike, and one of its arms was replaced with a tentacle.

"Of course, it had to be a tentacle." Bayonetta shivered. Jeanne drew herself into her stance, concentrating on the new foe.

"_The Left Eye. Much hate flows through Paradiso for you._" The disgustingly childlike voice rumbled. "_It is fortunate that I will be the one to defeat you, and free the Creator from her prison!"_

"You've got a fat chance in hell of that happening." She smirked in reply, drawing herself into her stance. "Did you want to play that badly?"

It snarled and leaped forward. Working in unison, both witches gave it a swift kick, followed by a wicked uppercut. Jeanne jumped after the rising angel, sending a barrage of wicked weaves and bullets into it. Bayonetta ran to the left, activating witchwalk and sticking herself to the building next to the bridge.

"Jeanne!" She screamed out. "To me!"

The witch in red nodded, then sent a roundhouse weave into the stomach of the angel, throwing it towards Bayonetta.

Striking a pose, the witch in black and blue let her power flow through her as she began to summon an old friend for the first time in months.

"AVAVAGO!" Her clothes melted away and her hair spiralled into the building, releasing Gommorah from Inferno. The demonic dog roared at the flailing angel, and then snapped its jaw around it. Biting it savagely, the angel was torn apart into fleshy pulps within seconds. Letting out a final scream of fury, the Infernal began to disappear back into the portal it was summoned from.

Bayonetta let herself giggle with exhilaration. She hadn't had fun like that in such a long time. Hearing the cries of the Laguna in the background, she admired Rodin's efficient destruction of the angels.

"Beautiful." She echoed his earlier sentiment.

"Well, that was that." Jeanne commented as she landed next to her.

"And right on schedule too." She checked her watch. "I best be off."

"Good lu-" Jeanne suddenly slammed a wicked weave into her, sending the raven haired woman flying. Turning around in shock, Bayonetta's eyes widened as Gommorah slammed into Jeanne with a powerful punch, knocking her soul from her body. The body itself disappeared as it fell out of Purgatorio, tumbling down to the ground.

Jeanne's soul bounced once, and then was grabbed by several blue hands erupting from a blue portal.

…

_Styx!? _Jeanne was screaming to her patron as she struggled against the hands pulling her down. _What the fuck is going on?!_

_I don't know!_ Styx's voice was full of fear, anger and panic. _This is a foreign entity, one I haven't felt for a long time! I don't know what to do!_

They began to drag her down. Screaming and struggling, she watched as Bayonetta began to sprint towards her, screaming her name.

"It's not supposed to end like this…" She snarled and tried to make a break for it. More hands grabbed onto her, and she felt the pull of Inferno even stronger.

_I'll find you, Jeanne! _Styx called out. _Then you can work on restoring yourself. You aren't finished on this world yet!_

She felt a hand brush her own as she was dragged into Inferno, and her very being filled with pain.

…

"No…" Bayonetta whispered to herself. She lay on the building in shock, her hand resting where Jeanne's was just moments ago. "NO!"

Behind her, Gommorah roared in triumph, rising up onto its hind legs as the sky began to turn red.

Her left eye was growing red. Her vision was becoming clouded with rage. Snarling, she stood up and turned around, looking at the demon in fury.

"I'm not one for pets who betray their masters." She hissed. "You are going to suffer!"

Two wings sprouted from her back as she took flight, calling upon Malphas to do so. Gommorah screamed at her, sending an obvious challenge at the witch in blue.

"Come on, you little bitch." She whispered in rage. "Challenge me if you dare!"

She was answered by the Infernal attempting to bite her in two. Activating witchtime, she simply moved to the side and let time resume as normal. The head bit down on nothing, and the demon whined in pain at its own teeth biting into its gums. Bayonetta didn't spare it a second of sympathy.

Then she moved to attack.

A hail of bullets slammed into its eyes, blinding it temporarily. Grabbing on the side of its head, she began to slam her fist over and over in massive punches, each tearing out chunks of flesh and shattering bone. She wasn't using wicked weaves; she wanted to have the pleasure of this herself.

Eventually, Gommorah recovered and threw her off, its mouth emitting roars of pain. Poking it with more bullets, she goaded it up the skyscraper, flying just above it.

It reached the top, and began to scream. It circled on the spire, sending swipes though the air at her. She dodged them casually, then moved out of reach.

"Come on! Touch me if you dare!" She taunted, and grinned savagely as the infernal leaped after her. Letting the wings fade out, she plummeted ahead of the snarling demon.

"ARGEDCO!" She screamed, imploring to the heavens behind the demon.

And they answered, a portal opening up.

Turning around, and smiling, she felt her hair leave her body again, and then felt a more savage infernal appear behind Gommorah. It seemed the demonic dog had as well, as it turned around to challenge whoever was appearing.

Labolas fell onto the demon, all three of its heads biting and tearing at its throat. Before all three could crash onto the ground, Gommorah's head was thrown from its shoulders and the body fell limply to the ground.

Bayonetta landed gracefully and turned to watch Labolas roar in victory, standing tall over the corpse of the renegade Infernal.

"Good boy. Now go, return to Inferno." She snapped her fingers, and this time made sure that the portal had closed before turning her attention elsewhere.

Stepping out of Purgatorio, she found Jeanne's crumpled body lying on the ground, each limb at unnatural angles. Choking out a sob, she sprinted to it.

"No, NO! Jeanne! Please! Wake up!"

A hand fell onto her shoulder. "Bayonetta, you saw it too. She's gone from this realm."

She shoved Rodin away with a wicked thrust. Grabbing her, she held the body tight as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"You can't be dead, Jeanne…" She wailed, not caring what the mortals saw. "You can't be!"

A pair of arms wrapped around her as the familiar presence of Luka filled her. Letting the body go, she threw herself into his chest, sobbing loudly.


	3. Chapter 2: Reprive

_Author's note: I own nothing from Bayonetta._

Chapter 2: Reprive

Even though the Gates of Hell was packed with customers, a fact that would normally make the bartender and his patrons joyous, the mood was sombre. No one was laughing, no one was talking aside from the hushed whispers directed at the mourning witch in the centre of the room. The others were paying tribute to the fallen witch in the casket near the left wall.

"When a witch dies, their soul is taken into Inferno." Rodin began, wiping a glass clean as he did, his voice easily carrying through the room. "If they had a patron they had made a pact with, then that infernal gets first pick of the meal. Then the soul is tossed aside to any demon that they had summoned in the past."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bayonetta slurred. In one hand was Luka's as she leaned against him, taking comfort in his body and arms. Her other clutched a half empty wine bottle. "I already know this…"

Luka gently pried the bottle out of her hands. "Come on, you've had enough to drink."

"No! Lemme drink more!" She snatched the bottle back and emptied it. Several patrons winced at the aggressive drinking. "It helps! Helps with the pain…"

"Bayonetta, I would prefer it if you didn't get wasted in the bar yet. Your past drunken sprees have been a little less than… destructive. They definitely do not help my productivity." The bartender set down his glass and gestured to the door. The other patrons nodded at him and left. "Do not let her get drunk until I shut down the Gates."

Bayonetta burst into tears as the last one left. "She's dead! And I could've saved her if I was more vigilant!"

"No, Cereza, you did everything you could." Luka whispered to her, his hands rubbing her back, trying to offer any sort of comfort. Turning to the man behind the counter, he grew serious. "Do you know why Gommorah broke free?"

"No clue. But I bet you a thousand halos that it has something to do with her Eye." He answered. Walking into the main room, he walked over the casket that contained Jeanne's body and stood by it, gazing at the serene face of the witch. Enzo was already there, looking at the witch with repulsion.

"You know, I always thought she was the ugly one." The short man mentioned. "But now that she is dead? Nah, still not feeling it."

"Enzo, she ain't dead." Rodin shook his head, and the sobbing stopped.

"What?" Bayonetta whispered, appearing to sober up, her voice filling with hope. Luka frowned, but his eyes were shining with hope.

"Do you remember how someone truly dies?" He turned to the pair, crossing his arms.

"They leave the trinities for good." She replied, her mind whirling. "But Jeanne is in Inferno! I can't get there!"

"Your friend Damien can potentially get there." He answered. "But I am assuming he won't be coming, since it's been three days since I talked to him. Stubborn, deadbeat motherfucker."

"That helps us how?"

"Fimbulventr…" Luka stood up and looked over at a painting. Walking over to it, a realisation went off in his head, and he clicked his fingers. "I've heard rumours that that mountain holds many secrets. Several beyond the comprehension of man."

"That mountain is also where…" Bayonetta turned to the Italian still perving on her Umbran sister. "Enzo? Do you still have that jet?"

"What? No! You still owe me for the car again!" The fat man waved his hands frantically. "I'm not letting you ruin my jet, or any other vehicle I may have!"

"The Gates of Hell. The actual gates, the only way in or out of Inferno normally." Luka turned to her, his mind clearly whirling with plans. "I'll research Noatun. You can use the lore of the land, and I want to know what the exact deal with Fimbulventr is."

"Bayonetta." She turned to see Rodin carefully handling a platinum watch. "Here; this will tell you how long you have left until she is gone."

"Three days." She took a note of the number. "Three days to break into the Gates of Hell, storm Inferno, find her and bring her back."

Rodin walked back to the counter and flipped a switch. The bar retracted, revealing rows of weapons.

"Take what you need. It's on the house." He gestured to the racks. Both Bayonetta and Luka gave him a look of suspicion.

"No drawbacks?" Bayonetta looked back at the weapons. "This is awfully out of character for you."

"If I let Jeanne die, I lose my second-best customer." He answered. Luka rolled his eyes, but smiled. "And besides, if she does die, I'll never forgive myself."

"What do you mean, never forgiv- oh, you care? Aw, Rodin, you big softie." Bayonetta smiled slightly.

"Shut up. If you tell anyone…" He threatened. "I'll tell the world what you and Luka did last month!"

"Deal!" Luka ran forward before she had a chance to respond, grabbing the man's hand and shaking it furiously. "We'll take that deal."

Rodin smiled at his eagerness. "Now, choose wisely. You shouldn't linger, you have better things to worry about."

The pair nodded. Luka turned and look at her. "I'll leave now; I'll need all the time I can get before I join you in Noatun."

She pulled him close and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Cheshire. For everything."

He grinned at her as he turned and ran out.

"Now, I guess you're gonna fucking try to convince me that you desperately need my jet. Well, guess what? The answer is no! And that is fucking final!"

Both Rodin and Bayonetta stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Well, if you promise to rip his balls off, he'll agree to anything." Rodin casually mentioned, and Enzo went pale.

"No! Don't you fuck- aww, this is why I can't have fucking nice things!"

"At least take care of his family while he is gone." She turned back to the bartender. "I do hear that Mrs Enzo makes a mean casserole, one to die for."

"So I've heard. Don't worry Enzo, your family will be in safe hands. Relatively."

"Oh no, you don't! You can't do this to me! I have to f-" Enzo's cries were abruptly cut short as Bayonetta dragged him out of the gates.

"Well, looks like I gotta close shop for a while." Rodin put his hands on his hips and looked around in satisfaction. "I'll put you on ice, rebuy the presents that were destroyed…" He began to mentally create a list.

A knocking interrupted his thoughts. Frowning at the door, he almost forgot that the bar was now closed.

But hell, it was a chance to make some halos. He hoped that the person didn't mind the corpse in the middle of the room.

"Alright, come on in." He gestured to the door, letting it unlock. "But you are my last cus- oh. Shit."

"I'm here." A beat up, but mostly clean, Damien walked in. "Sorry for being so late. I had to tie some loose ends up before I left for good."

"Well, you chose absolutely the fucking best time to come back." Rodin drawled as he tried to figure out how he could delay the winged man and move Jeanne out of the way.

"What makes it – Jeanne?!" He half screamed and choked out, running up to the casket. Rodin closed his eyes, readying his patience and calming himself down.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He turned around, tears in his eyes. "How is Jeanne dead!?"

"Well, fuck me."

…

Jeanne awoke in a familiar, yet unrecognisable hellscape. It was red. Very red. Blood red. A rocky red.

Infernic red.

"Oh no…" She heard her disembodied voice cry out. "Fuck! This isn't real!"

"Welcome to Inferno, Mademoiselle Jeanne." A voice taunted her. "The realm of demons, and the place where souls of the damned wander for eternity. Shitless, as I've heard it be described."

Her head whipped around to see a blue spirit, dressed in a blue cloak. It seemed to be smiling at her, taunting her to make a move.

"Who are you?" Her voice was beginning to hurt her. Swallowing in pain, she awaited the answer from the man.

"I am you." It answered cryptically. "Well, in a really cryptic, stupid, out of this world round-a-bout sense. You really have to understand the nuance before you can figure out the joke. Ha ha!"

She stared in confusion at the spirit. "What?"

"That's right!" It clicked its fingers, shaking its head at itself. "You know nothing. Aside from the fact that you are going to be the lucky one, you will not need to know anything."

"The lucky one?" She couldn't speak anymore. It was too painful.

"Oh, yes. Since you'll die before my plan is complete. It saves you the trouble of dying later." It appeared to think. "Although you being alive would be more beneficial to my later plans potentially, the Left Eye can't be delayed from its calling. Don't you agree?"

Reality shimmered, and a masked and cloaked figure appeared beside the spirit. Jeanne's eyes widened as she realised what she was looking at.

"_This is an Umbra Witch, as you promised. The daughter of that monster, the Umbran Elder._" His voice was muffled and distorted. "_She deserves nothing but pain for a millennium!"_

"Pain for a millennium? That's an awfully long time." The spirit argued. "But I do see it's fitting, considering we both need to get rid of her."

"What?!" Her voice rasped out.

"Oh, yeah. That's right. You need to die. Sorry." He clicked his fingers, and she felt Inferno itself latch onto her. "Well, not sorry. Not in the slightest. But anyway, come, my Sage. We have a boy to kill, and a witch to collect."

_Bayonetta…_

Jeanne screamed as she was absorbed into the ground, watching helpless as the Lumen Sage watched her apathetically.

…

The boy held his head with pain as the voice continued to ripple through him.

_The mountain. Come to the mountain. Fimbulventr. Come to Fimbulventr. Rejoin. Come to rejoin._

_Sovereign One._

"Stop!" He cried out in pain. "I just want to go home…"

_Mountain is home._

"Shut up!" Curling into a ball, he wished someone could see him. Someone who could relate to his problems, instead of being Acceptance's or Affinities. "Just shut up!"

_Come to mountain, Sovereign One._

"Please…" He was begging now. "Just stop…"

Collapsing with exhaustion, the boy fell into a fitful, restless sleep, as he always did.

…

_She was back on the Umbra Clocktower face._

_Affinities were swarming it, screaming and hissing at her. _

"_This is a dream." She noted. One jumped forward, and she grabbed it and tore it into two, relishing in the violent act._

"_A perfectly good dream, because now I get to let off some steam." She smirked. "Come, let's dance boys!"_

"_Let off some steam?" A familiar voice to her left teased. "Daughter of mine, you shouldn't have to."_

"_Sometimes you have to." A male voice to her right answered, and she stiffened as she recognised it. "Pent up emotions will destroy you."_

_She turned around to see an Umbra Witch dressed in a black and red body suit, with chains connecting her ankles and wrists together, and a winged man dressed in white, both staring at her with an expectant look. _

"_Mother, brother." She greeted them both with a strangled voice. "Why are you here?"_

"_You mourn, do you not?" Her mother replied. "For her."_

"_You should take it out." Damien gestured to the angels behind her. "Destroy them all, let them feel your wrath."_

"_Why should I listen to you, less take advice!" She jabbed a finger into his chest. "You left me! You betrayed her! You abandoned us!"_

"_You should listen because I am right!" He answered, his golden eyes glowing slightly in anger. "You know you are hurting; it's time to release some of the pain!"_

"_Don't listen to him. You are the Left Eye of the world." Her mother stepped forward and took her hand. "You can save Jeanne; no need for vengeance."_

_Bayonetta looked down. "It hurts, Mummy. I lost two of my closest friends and family so quickly, one to nothing and the other to a sneak attack from my own. How can I be the Left Eye if I can't see the problems before my own?"_

"_Because, daughter, it takes a failure to teach." Her chin was lifted up, and her grey eyes met her mothers own. "You are the pride of the Umbra. You are destined for greater things; Khepri has told me so. Believe in yourself, for we"_

_Her resolve hardened, and the two figures faded away. Turning around, she glared at the angels, expecting them to leap._

_She didn't expect a man to slice at her._

_Twisting and flipping away from his swings, she summoned out a gun and blocked an overhead strike. Staring at the golden mask with confusion, she recognised her assailant._

"_A Lumen Sage?!" She started in surprise. "How? No one bloody bothered told me your kind was still alive!"_

_The Sage was silent as he clicked his fingers, and Fortitudo descended from the skies behind him. _

"Umbra Witch; defiler of Jubelius. We have come to take vengeance." _It calmly spoke, its voice sending a tremor through the clocktower face. "_You will suffer for your deeds!_"_

"_Well, you fucking turkey, come and get it then!" Bayonetta summoned the rest of Love is Blue and took her stance. "The Left Eye yields to no one!"_

_The Sage flinched at the sentence, breaking off her and retreating back to the other side of the clocktower._

"_What? Cat got your tongue?" She placed on hand on her hip and regarded him with curiosity. "Never seen an Umbra before? Wait, you are a Sage; have you even seen a woman before?"_

_The Sage reached up to his mask and pulled it down._

_The only thing she saw before she returned from the realm of Morpheus was the bright blue light of the Right Eye of the World._

…

Bayonetta awoke, this time remaining calm from the dream. Opening her eyes slowly, she noticed that they were nearly at their destination.

Fimbulventr stood indomitably in the background, encompassing the landscape.

The dream was weird. The last one she had was an alternative future; was it possible that this one was an omen? Impossible. Her mother was still alive. And another Lumen Sage existed. Both of which could not exist in the future, unless…

She shook her head. The only person powerful enough to send people through time was potentially Damien, but she felt that he couldn't do it without someone already boosting the spell. And Balder was dead, and he had been the one to do it, albeit slightly unsuccessfully.

"Well, you owe me again for paying out Alex the Kid for his plane. You better not fuckin' skimp out of it this time." Enzo had noticed she was awake. Oh, joy. "And why the fuck do you me for anyway? We both know you can fly the damn thing."

Crap. He was right.

"Enzo, has it occurred to you that I might have been lonely?" She answered, telling a partial truth. "And no one else was availab- focus on flying the plane!"

Enzo snapped around and gripped the controls tighter as he readjusted their course back to Noatun.

"You? Lonely?" He began to laugh. "Gee, don't make me laugh!"

She ignored his jab and stayed in silence, staring out of the window morosely.

"There it is! That's Fimbulventr." He pointed out the mountain in front of them. Bayonetta rolled her eyes; how could anyone miss the fucking thing? "Not such a bad place when you look at it."

She ignored him, returning her attention to the mountain ahead of them. According to what Rodin had told her, the Gates of Hell were only accessible from the top of the mountain, and to reach it she had to travel from Noatun, the bridge of destiny and up the mountain itself.

What a fitting name, she reflected to herself. Something tugged at her senses. Frowning slightly, she looked into Purgatorio briefly and froze.

A flight of angels was heading their way. Dozens of the new centaur variant and a giant serpentine shaped laguna were flying at them from the mountain, and Bayonetta knew she couldn't fight them without killing Enzo.

Well, not on or in the plane, at least.

"Hey! Where did those clouds come from?" Enzo asked,

"My apologies, Enzo." She clicked her fingers, and a purple mist surrounded the controls.

"Hey! What the f- oh, don't fuckin' tell me they found us already!?" The mortal screamed, turning to her in panic.

She gave him a wink and smirked. "Be a good boy and fly home."

Shooting a window, she rose and threw herself out of it, letting Malphas's wings spread and hold her aloft, floating her down to the ocean beneath her. Opening up a portal to Purgatorio, she was relieved to see that the host had followed her, and not Enzo.

That was part one.

Transforming herself, utilising snake-within, she sped towards the water like a bullet. Smirking to herself, she knew she had finally lost them. Cutting into the water like a warm knife through butter, she swam with haste towards the shore.

Angels couldn't swim, after all.

…

The masked Lumen reflected to himself on the dream.

The Prophetic One had told him that two Umbra witches were still alive after a catastrophic event that killed most of their clan. He had witnessed the death of one of them; Jeanne De'Arc, if he was remembering her correctly. A good person, he had once thought, but one responsible for many deaths of Lumen; a crime that until now, had gone unpunished.

The second witch, he wasn't so sure of.

She looked familiar. She sounded familiar. Paradiso above, she even acted familiar to him. But he couldn't place where or why. She was beautiful, and someone he would've liked to know her if his heart was already taken by someone else.

She was also the Left Eye.

That was unexpected. He knew that the reason that the war had begun was due to the Left Eye becoming held by an impure witch, but as far as he knew his daughter was dead. The Prophetic One had told him that his wife and daughter had been executed by the Umbra not long after they had been separated. How dare they! Rosa had understood the risks, and was willing to take the fall if they were discovered. He understood why she was gone, but his daughter? She was innocent! A child! If they weren't already dead he would go back in time to kill them him-

Deep breathes. Calming himself down, he replaced his mask on and stood up.

The hour of reckoning for the Umbra was at hand for the murder of his family, and for the murder of his clan. They would pay for his suffering.

He would make sure of it.

"My, what troubles you?" The blue apparition appeared in front of him, startling the Sage slightly.

"_Nothing of your business_." He replied curtly, still talking in Enochian for the time being.

"Good. She has come, and so has he." The spirit smiled. "It is now time to put our plan in motion. Well, my plan. But you are involved, so it is our plan!"

"_Let me kill the boy first_." He looked at the spirit with a glare under his mask. "_He__ deserves to die for what he has done. Then the girl._"

"Don't you remember our deal? The boy and the witch delivered to me, then you may take your vengeance after I am finished with them." It shook its head in shame. "I understand your plight. I emphasise with it. I feel it. But not until their purpose has been met. You can't kill them yet"

The Sage merely grunted in affirmation.

"Go down to the city. You'll be bound to run into them eventually." It began to fade away. "Remember, I want them alive!"

The Sage was left alone with his thoughts.

"I will give them to you alive." He snarled. "Whether they are dying as they arrive is another question entirely."


	4. Chapter 3: City of Genesis

_Author's note: I don't own anything from Bayonetta._

Chapter 3: City of Genesis

Rodin closed his eyes, inhaling the smoke from his cigar. He relished in its taste and scent, then reopened his eyes to the sight in front of him with a sigh.

Damien had not moved from Jeanne's side in almost twelve straight hours. Ever since he had explained the situation, the winged man had set up a vigil beside the coffin, staring at the body with regret and hopelessness. Hell, he had gone to the Enzo household, had some the best casserole he had tasted in centuries, and came back and the damn guy had not visibly moved.

"You do know that staring at her is not going to bring her back." He finally broke the silence that had befallen the gates.

"It's my fault." Damien's voice was scratchy. "She is dead because I was stupid and wasn't there for her."

"Now, absolutely no one could have predicted Gommorah breaking free-" Rodin began.

"Three pairs of eyes would have seen it earlier!" He burst out, shaking. "And then… and then…"

"Look, dwelling over what-ifs and has-beens will not save Jeanne." He folded his arms, flicking the cigar to the side.

"She is dead!" He fell to his knees heavily, not caring about the sounds of breaking bones as he did. "She is dead, and we can't save her!"

"Jesus Christ…" Rodin grabbed him by his collar and shoved him against the wall. "Did you not listen to a damn fucking word I just said?"

"You said she was dead!" He answered, not bothering to struggle from the man's grip. "So what is the fucking point!?"

"I said her soul is in Inferno, just waiting to be saved by Prince Charming here." He jabbed a finger at his chest. "But you are obviously more concerned with how you 'feel' instead of saving who means the most to you!"

Damien had the grace to look embarrassed, at least. He turned and looked down.

"I'm scared." He whispered. "I'm scared that I'll try to save her and fail, or I'll succeed and she'll prefer that she died."

Rodin visibly rolled his eyes and dropped the winged man back to his knees. "You have got to be the most… what's the word for it? Sad? Stupid? Confused? Either way, its pissing me off how blind you are to the situation."

"Blind?" Damien looked up in confusion.

"She still thinks of you highly, even if you have treated her like crap." Rodin walked over to the counter and grabbed a suitcase. Tossing it to the kneeling man, he walked behind it and began to put away the various glasses to their homes. "You are one lucky son of a bitch."

"I-" He started.

"No! You will put these damn clothes, grab your soul-stealing sword and go and save your fucking princess in peril!" Rodin roared. "Now go!"

The winged man flinched at his tone and looked at the wall.

"I want to talk to someone." He finally said in a small voice. "I want another opinion."

"What?" Rodin looked perplexed. "Is the counsel of an aeons old man not good enough for you?"

"You are not close to me." He answered, his eyes glowing slightly. "I need help from friends closer to me, if they still are."

"You said you didn't have any friends." The bartender raised an eyebrow but was starting to get the gist of what he was getting at.

"My supernatural friends still are here." He tapped his chest, then looked hesitant. "If they are still willing to listen."

"Look, kid." Rodin leaned forward on the counter. "This may be your only chance to redeem yourself. Especially in their eyes."

"I won't let you down. I won't let myself down." He came to a conclusion and stood up. "I can't let them down again."

"Good." Rodin smiled, then grew serious. "Wait, before I forget. If you run into Bayonetta, give her this."

He reached down and tossed a gigantic hammer at him. Catching it telekinetically, he let it wander in front of his vision. Catching it with his free hand, he hefted it onto his shoulder and looked at it in surprise.

"What's this?" He asked, examining the head of the hammer.

"That is Yagyu, a hammer that has once fell entire civilisations to save ours." The weaponsmith grinned. "It might come in handy later."

"It did what?!" His head whipped around. "Other civilisations?!"

"What, you think the three trinities are just demons, angels and humans?" Rodin laughed. "There's a lot more out there, but don't worry your pretty little head about it. Just focus on saving Jeanne."

Damien nodded, tossing the hammer into Inferno as he did.

"Now I pray that that damn portal is still open." He turned around, facing the exit. "And that Fimbulventr still fucking works."

Rodin smiled wider. "That's more like it."

Damien disappeared as he stepped outside and teleported to Vigrid Airport.

…

Bayonetta was swimming along in snake-within, relatively peacefully, until she realised she was being followed.

She didn't pay it much heed, since she had been followed once by a curious whale when she visited Antarctica on a whim. But when she sensed more things behind her, she began to grow suspicious that it wasn't another whale and its pod that had begun to follow her.

Glancing behind her, she saw a pack of things, that looked vaguely like jellyfish, pursuing her.

_What the fuck are those things? _She returned her attention to the approaching shoreline. _Angels can't fucking swim... Can't they?_

"_Cease your movement, witch!" _One had swum up beside her. Taking the opportunity to examine it, she found that she was quite correct in her original assumption; they did look like jellyfish. A giant, angel jellyfish.

"You want me to stop?" She replied, ignoring its demand and quickening her pace. "Can't you see that I am in a hurry?"

"_You will not reach the mountain, by order of the Prophetic One!_" It answered, the tips of its tentacles beginning to glow red. Rolling her eyes, as well as she could as a snake, she retransformed into a human and sent a wicked weave into its face.

"I do need to reach that mountain; why don't you crash the party there instead?" She turned to the pack behind her. "Having some angels for her to kill when she wakes up would be quite the boon."

"_Kill her!"_ The angels charged, and Bayonetta retransformed into the snake and swum upwards, outpacing the angels almost instantly. Breaking out of the water, she transformed back and let Malphas's wings keep her aloft. One eager Laguna jumped out after her, but she grabbed it with Madama Butterfly's hand, and held it close to her.

"I think I'm going to name you… baka-idiot." She noticed that it was struggling to breathe. "Because you are twice as stupid as a normal angel to jump out of the water that you can't breathe without."

"_We are…"_ It gasped out. "_Fidelity…"_

"Fidelity? Well, I can assure you that I am already taken." She grinned as the fist began to close. "So don't bother!"

The angel screamed as it was crushed into a small fleshy ball. Tossing it as far away from the mountain as she could, she turned and began to fly towards Noatun.

_Fidelity…. Huh._ At least she knew that even the waters weren't safe anymore. _I wonder if there are lava dwelling ones now._

Even if there were, she surmised she didn't want to meet it. Letting her wings fade away, she dropped down to the docks below. Her plan was simple enough; explore Noatun for the way to Fimbulventr, go to said mountain, find the Gates of Hell and rescu-

Squirrel?

Spreading her legs out, she landed by splitting herself over the petrified animal. Bending her neck down, she noticed it was quite the peculiar squirrel; this one had a small chain with a golden pyramid attached to it wrapped around its neck.

Tilting her head curiously, Bayonetta surmised it must have been a local pet. But since when did Noatun have squirrels? It finally realised it wasn't going to die, and promptly turned and ran. Twisting her body upright, she stared at it with a mixture of curiosity and jealousy.

If only she could be as carefree.

Standing up, she glanced around. Inside Purgatorio, all was quiet. Outside, it was a bustling day for the life of a resident of Noatun. What appeared to be a market was open and bustling with hundreds of people, each browsing each shop individually. Placing a hand on her hip, she contemplated whether or not to join them.

"Fuck it." She said to herself as she opened the portal, feeling a sense of déjà vu for Vigrid. "There's no help like a bunch of strangers."

It only occurred to her that the squirrel was inside Purgatorio when she stepped through.

_Most peculiar indeed…_

…

The portal did still work, in fact. That was a bit of good luck in his pocket.

Damien looked at it with hesitation. He didn't know what would be on the other side. It had been months since he had seen an angel, let alone fought one.

Hell, he didn't even know if Hope was still around, or even reachable.

Steeling his resolve, he marched in, letting the cool embrace of Paradiso envelope him.

He immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Now, you all know the drill, right?" A blue spirit was talking with some really odd looking Lagunan. "You have to make sure they both get to the mountain, unscathed. Well, at least still alive. The unscathed part is optional, but I prefer it if what is rightfully mine wasn't destroyed."

"_Prophetic One?_" The biggest one stepped forward, its hooves clopping gently against the cobblestones. "_Is the Sage not going to do that?_"

"Oh, my little Lumen?" The spirit chuckled. "As unfortunate as it is for my plans, and his too, he betrays us. It's inevitable."

"_Then why use him?_" Another centaur angel stepped forward. "_If he is to become a liability?_"

"Because he has something of mine, and until I get it back, he still has his uses." It shrugged. "Also, because he is so easy to manipulate. You guys should really be envious of Joys; being able to get a minion is so much fun!"

"_You know that they are all destroyed._" The leader smiled. "_You ordered their destruction._"

_What?!_ Damien realised he was in the open, and quickly teleported behind a nearby rock. _They are all gone?!_

"Oh yes, bothersome." The spirit turned around. "It's most unfortunate that none of them were willing to change their stance."

"_That traitor…_" One of the smaller ones growled. "_It has corrupted far too much for its own good._"

"Don't be such a downer! You guys are far more superior than most of them, including the Auditio! Be happy!" The spirit threw its hands into the air. "Look, I know we are missing a few angels in our little purge, but there is far more of you than there are of them. They are meaningless now."

"_As you wish, my liege._" They bowed to the spirit, who gave them a mock bow in return. The spirit faded away, leaving the centaur angels to chitter amongst themselves.

_Hope? _He mentally reached out, searching for the angel. _Hope?!_

_Damien?! _A voice answered him in shock. _What the fu-… What in the name of Jubelius are you doing here?!_

A smile crept onto his features as relief flooded his mind. Hope, unfortunately, picked up on it.

_Where are you? _It demanded angrily.

_Just outside of the Vigrid portal. _He answered, feeding his memory of the exchange to her. _What the fuck is this?_

Hope remained silent. A small golden portal opened next to him, and a familiar Joy poked its head through.

"_Get in here, before they figure out that you are here!_" Hope hissed, and he jumped in.

…

Bayonetta became immediately aware of the eyes that locked onto her when she stepped into the mortal realm. She also became immediately aware of her state of being.

"Oh bother." She rolled her eyes. Transforming into a panther, she shook herself off, letting the water fly off and into the crowd of staring, and quite disgusted people. Retransforming herself, she gave a devious smile to the soaked crowd.

"You all have better things to be doing than staring at me." She waved their stares away and focussed on a small girl who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Now, little one, you look like you are the smartest one here." She bent over and regarded the girl with a soft smile. "You know who I am?"

"Miss Bayonetta…" The girl answered with awe. "The strongest, most beautiful and powerfullest woman on the planet!"

"That's right!" Internally she cringed at the speech. "So, you should know why I am here?"

The girl did not answer, and instead opted to look over at the looming mountain. Bayonetta followed her gaze, then turned back to her.

"That accursed mountain is not right!" A woman, presumably the girl's mother, pulled her back and hid her behind herself. Bayonetta straightened up and regarded her with narrowed eyes. "Bad things happen to those who climb it!"

"Especially recently!" Another called out. "My wife climbed that mountain three weeks ago, and she disappeared while she was in the carpark, in broad daylight!"

"My son is gone!"

"My grandparents!"

"Our dog!"

_There is more to that mountain…_ She thought to herself as she looked over the crowd. Many were staring back at her with eyes filled with hope.

"You want me to check out the mountain?" She addressed the elephant in the room. She grimaced and looked away in guilt. "I-"

"We know why you are here." A man stepped forward. "You are here to seek the mythical Gates of Hell."

"I am." She answered, frowning slightly. They were willing to let her not investigate the mountain?

"We understand." The man nodded, and then turned away. "Go rescue your friend, then kick your brother's ass for not being here to save her."

She cracked a smile. "I promise I will get to the bottom of Fimbulventr eventually."

The area began to brighten unnaturally. The girl looked to the sky and gasped.

"They are coming…"

Her eyes widened at the human. Tapping her glasses, she glanced at the skies to see the host that had been originally following her now descending upon the city.

"Run…" Her guns appeared in her hands in a flash. "Run!"

She launched herself through a portal as the crowd scattered in panic. Her eyes narrowed at the angels, but again her mind was on something else.

That girl was gifted.

…

Damien landed in a strange cavern. It was shrouded in green shadows, cast by the emerald flames flickering above him. His attention, however, was on the pissed off Joy in front of him.

"_Explain yourself._" Hope hissed. "_Why are you here, and why did you do what you did?!"_

He had no answer, merely lowering his gaze as tears filled his eyes. The Joy held its glare for a couple more seconds, then dropped it as it approached him.

"_We understand your pain._" It whispered, placing a comforting hand onto his shoulder. "_But that is not why you are here; not anymore._"

"That spirit, those angels; what are they?" He asked, regaining control of his emotions enough to look up at her.

"_Its better for them to explain. Come; we have much to discuss._" Hope turned around and gestured to him.

"Much to discuss?" He frowned as he ran up to beside her. "Hope, what is going on?"

"_We have been replaced…" _It grabbed his hand and guided it to its forehead. Understanding, Damien's eyes glowed slightly as he entered her mind...

…

_Hope smiled as the four Auditio nodded to each other. _

"We understand your reasoning, young one._" Iustitia gurgled. _"And we can sense his lie, now we are aware of it._"_

"You have our authority to be known as the herald of truth._" Temperantia gestured to her. "_Go forth, and bring the enlightenment to the rest of Paradiso._"_

_It nodded, taking in the seriousness of the request. _

"_Oh, hello. Thank you, little traitor, for rounding them all up for me." A blue spirit walked into the auditorium, clapping sarcastically. "Saves me the time and problems of having to hunt you all down individually."_

"Who are you to dare defile the council's meeting?_" Sapientia roared at the newcomer. _

"_Just call me the Prophetic One." The male spirit quipped, waving away the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence. "I am here to ask a question."_

"Speak quickly._" Fortitudo spoke up before anyone else could. "_What is the harm in one question?_"_

"_You are quite the jolly fellow, Mr Courageous." The Prophetic One laughed, then grew serious as he looked at the four colossal angels in front of him. "I ask this; do you still serve the higher power?"_

"Our allegiance is to Jubileus._" Temperentia frowned, glancing at his four fellow angels in confusion. "_And to Jubileus only._"_

"_Not to the highest power?" The spirit put a hand onto its chin as it began to think aloud. _

"There is no higher power. Now begone!_" Sapentia was beginning to grow restless. "_Or we will destroy you!_"_

"_It looks like what once was legend is now quite forgotten. Oh well. What is the worst thing that can happen?" The Prophet turned to the entrance and gestured. "Well, you all have obviously forgotten your place. It's time for you to be replaced with those who do."_

_The roof exploded as a serpentine angel descended upon the gathered Auditio. Raising their heads to view the new threat, they neglected to see the angelic swordsmen pouring through the entrance._

"My lieges!_" Hope pulled out her angelic guns, sending ineffectual shots at the approaching army. These angels were four times her size, and the largest ones were the same height as Fortitudo. _

"_Do you like them? I call them Valor, Valiance and Glamor; fitting right?" The Prophet stood there passively as the swordsmen slammed into the Audito. "I, for one, enjoyed waking them up. It seems that your little leader once left a… what shall I call it? A backup? Replacements? I don't know. And to be frank, I don't care enough."_

"The Father would have told us of his plans!_" Temperentia delivered a massive punch to the Glamor, flinging it out of the auditorium. "_We were his trusted assistants!_"_

"_Were you? Were you now?" The Prophet laughed. "Oh my, you all really do know nothing!"_

"_But then again." He put his hand onto his chin as he pondered. "Technically it wasn't Balder who planted them there. But that depends on how you approach the laws of time. Geez, you can get away-"_

_He was silenced as he leaned left as Hope shot a bullet in his direction. "Come now, that was out of line."_

"Temperentia!_" Iustitia gurgled. "_Take the Joy and get out of here!_"_

"We will hold them._" Fortitudo dove onto a Valiance, knocking it from Sapentia's back. "_They are not allowed to spread further into the holy lands!_"_

"_Get her!" The Prophet pointed at the Joy, and it responded by jumping up to Temperentia's torso, and onto its shoulders. "Fuck it, get them!"_

"They won't survive._" Hope whispered as the pair began to rise up and out of the building. The view that greeted them broke their spirit, and supported her claim._

_Legions of unfamiliar Laguna were marching upon the citadel, and thousands of Glamor's ruled the skies above them._

"They will die a glorious end._" Temperentia's normally calm voice was tinged with anger and sadness. "_And we will need to find another route._"_

_Reality closed onto them as he flickered into Purgatorio, glided forward in a random direction._

…

"They're all dead?" Damien retracted his hand as they walked into a large cavern. "All the angels?"

"_The ones that are not gathered here._" Hope gestured to the encampment of angels spread out in front of them. Damien estimated that there was maybe one hundred Lagunan in the space, most of them being Joys. "_We can only assume they are dead, or in hiding._"

He was silent at the revelation. Walking through, he noticed many of the angels giving him weird looks. Looks of admiration. Looks of surprise. Looks of hope.

"What happened to Temperentia?" He asked, staring back at a group of Joy's in confusion.

"_It has come to my attention that we now have a new member here._" A familiar booming voice spoke from behind him. Turning around, he saw a damaged, battle-worn and exhausted Temperentia smiling in relief at him. "_A member that can turn the tide._"

"_My liege, you haven't-" _Hope started.

"_Do not worry. Any dent we can make in their numbers is less that our allies have to deal with._" The Auditio waved of her concern.

"Your allies?" Damien asked, frowning slightly.

"_Well, our hopeful allies._" Hope answered. "_We need something in the mortal realm to help us out."_

"Wha- No! We are both allied with the darkness! And besides…" He trailed off, letting it hang in the air.

"_You are both children of light and dark._" Temperentia reminded him. "_You would both be insane to let half of your power go stagnant._"

"What?!"

"_It's simple, really. Theoretically, you should both be able to make a pact with Lord Temperentia and gain access to greater power. Power you will both need for the coming journey._" The Joy folded its arms.

The winged man sighed. "I can't make this decision form her, and that's if she decides to listen to me!"

"_Your patron should be able to tell you that._" Temperentia began to glow green as it began a healing trance. Damien nodded his head, then his eyes widened at what was said.

"Madama Khepri?!" He exclaimed. "I'm not even sure if I want to talk to her…"

"_Just do it!_" Temperentia roared, and the cavern went silent at his outburst.

_Madama?_

_Khepri?_

_Madama Khepri?_

_Summon me, mortal._ The demon's voice was dry, and full of anger. _And then we will talk._

"PDEE BARMA!" He flicked his wrist as a portal to Inferno opened, and a human-sized Mistress of Time walked out.

And boy, was she pissed.

"Six months." She growled. "Six months!"

The nearby Affinities began to retreat backwards. The Joys pulled out their various weaponry, ready to attack the Infernal if need be to defend themselves.

"Six months of silence! Six months of nothing! Six months of being the shittiest witch, human, Infernal or God that I have ever seen!" Khepri stopped in front of him, poking a finger into his chest. "All because you are the most idiotic, stupidest… argh!"

"All I wanted to do was help…" He murmured, then a loud clap rang out as Khepri slapped him.

"Your idea of help has complicated the situation even more!" She screamed. "And because of your stupid actions, I could do nothing but watch as you went down the path that nearly killed us all!"

His head shot back to her, a handprint visible on his cheeks. "What?"

"Whatever is atop Fimbulventr requires you being there to defeat." She explained curtly. "Now, what do you want?!"

"_For Pete's sake!_" The Auditio cried out in frustration. "_We are dying, slowly, and all you two have in answer is to fight like a married couple! Lord Damien, you are an idiot. A helpful, intelligent person, but an idiot nevertheless. Mistress Khepri; can't you see he has had enough happening in his life?"_

The Infernal turned away in embarrassment, quickly realizing the truth behind the Lagunan's words.

"We aren't finished yet…" She warned him. "You will explain!"

…

Bayonetta lowered her guns as the last centaur angel exploded into pulps of flesh and blood. Giving herself a quick breather, she smiled to herself.

_At least the populace are safe…_ She retroactively thought as she surveyed the wreckage of the former markets. _A job well done._

But it wasn't over yet.

The sounds of battle reached her ears. Frowning slightly, she transformed into a panther and began to run into the city.

It couldn't be.

He had condemned himself to a life of crime, had he not?

There was no way he was here, it was impossible.

Flipping out of beast within, she held her guns at the ready and looked at the melee in the square.

A small boy, no older than fourteen years old, was throwing what appeared to be cards at the strange centaur angels.

She almost laughed at the absurdity of it all, but then quickly realised the boy was in a fight to the death. Shooting a few rounds into the closest angel, she slid into the fray, sweeping out the legs of one angel and sending a wicked punch at another. The boy gasped in surprise but continued to throw cards. They exploded on the angels in a rush of blue magical energy, throwing them to the side. Bayonetta sized up the leader, and then slipped underneath it to shoot a charged bullet directly into its heart.

Sliding onto her knees as the angel collapsed behind her, she smiled with relief as the scent of Paradiso faded. Climbing upright, she turned to see the kid staring at her in both shock and suspicion.

"Who the fuck are you?"


	5. Chapter 4: City of Water

_Author's Note: I own nothing from Bayonetta. Only the OC_

Chapter 4: City of Water

Bayonetta arched an eyebrow at the boy in front of her. He was wearing a yellow, sleeveless hoodie, orange baggy pants and green skate shoes. The hood was up, obscuring his eyes and forehead from her. A pair of googles hung around his neck, and a necklace holding a golden pyramid finished the look.

"So, love." His mouth bent into a small grin, bringing her attention back to him. "You are going to tell me who the fuck you are and why you can see me?"

His attitude raised her second eyebrow. "You were putting on quite the show there, little magician."

"Oh, you liked that?" The boy crossed his arms and turned around, smirking slightly. "Just wait til you see the climax!"

"Oh really?" She smirked. "You'll have to do more than that to earn a tip from me, little one."

"Little one?!" He turned around in indignation. "I'll let you know that I am not a 'little one'! I do have a name!"

"You'll earn your name when you become a man." She smirked. "For starters, little one, never call me that again. Two, I guess I'm just a poor innocent girl, lost in this wonderland with no guide out."

"Great answers…" He shook his head, then turned to her. "Enough riddles. You still didn't answer my last question, ma'am."

Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock. "Do I look like a 'ma'am' to you?!"

"Then what shall I call you, love?" He smirked. "Because my mum always told me to treat women with respect, and you haven't quite earned it yet."

"Bayonetta or Cereza." She tilted her head at him. "Take your pick."

"Cereza?" The boy broke into a burst of laughter. "The Spanish word for cherry? That's an apt name if I've ever heard one."

His laughter deepened as Bayonetta blushed slightly. "Oh… my… Someone's already made that joke, cherry bomb?"

A small movement behind him caught her attention. Pulling out a gun, she pointed it at the boy.

He instantly sobered up. "I-uh-uh, uh, swear! I didn't mean anything by that, love! I s-s-swear!"

Pulling the trigger, she watched in satisfaction as the bullet sailed past the boy's head and into a lone angel who had snuck up behind them. Lowering the gun as the boy turned to see the angel collapse, she began to walk towards him.

"Now, now. Where are your parents, little one? You are in Purgatorio, the realm between, and this is not the place for little boys just like you."

"Pur… Purgatorio?" The boy grasped his head in pain. She frowned at the action, but did not raise any attention to it.

"Where me and my family conduct our business with angels." She continued to explain. "Why they would be chasing after you, I would have no idea. Perhaps you could tell me."

She leaned down as she finished so he looked up directly into her face as the small pain passed. Startling him, he jumped backwards from her, summoning cards and waving them at her threateningly.

"Look love, I don't know why the fuck these Acceptance and Allegiance would want me." He sounded desperate. "I don't know anything! Leave me alone!"

"Now, calm down little one." She was forcefully biting down a smirk at his 'threatening' appearance. "I do not want to hurt you."

"Stay away from me!" He ran, meeting her expectation. Pushing aside the door to the church, she heard it slam seconds later.

"Some kid." She said to herself, then made to follow after him. A blinding light appeared in front of her, halting her for the time being, and out stepped a familiar angel.

"_Umbra Witch. The jailer of Jubileus_." The face on its sword spoke with undisguised hatred. "_You are required at Fimbulventr._"

She frowned at the giant angel's declaration. On one hand, it was suspicious that they already knew of her plan, but then again, what else would intrigue an Umbra visiting this place? However, something also told her that going to Fimbulventr via giant angry angel would not get her in the same place as her goal.

"I'm sorry, what?" She feigned ignorance and began to circle the humanoid angel. "I'm required for a tea party?"

"_I sense the power of remembrance of time._" It glanced around, searching. "_Where did the boy flee?_"

"If you are looking for the kid, he went that a way." She pointed in a random direction. "Why the interest in little boys? I thought your kind had outgrown chasing children."

"_You, your Eye and that boy is required for the Prophetic One's plans._" It began to follow her lead as it turned back to her, circling in the opposite direction with its sword held up in a two-handed grip. "_A lowly Valiance such as myself will be the one to deliver his prize, and not one other being will be!"_

"I am not a prize to be won, dear Valiance." Her mind was whirling at its proclamation. She really wanted to talk to that boy again. "How about you try to earn me?"

It swung its sword in a low sweep, obviously ready to engage her. Jumping over it, she poked its headless torso with a salvo of bullets. They ricochet off, and she rolled her eyes.

"Is anything truly ever easy?" She rhetorically asked herself, kicking off of its arm and landing in a crouch, studying the Valiance. Preparing several wicked weaves, she waiting for it to swing again.

It went low for a second time, and Bayonetta launched a wicked stomp onto its torso, following it up with two punches and an uppercut, throwing the body back and the sword up into the air. Seizing the opportunity, she spun around as she felt the familiar energies of Inferno build up inside of her.

"PDEE BARMA!" She felt her hair fly into a portal behind her, and a giant Madama Butterfly caught both the angel and its weapon. Tossing the Valiance into the air, the infernal tested the weight of the weapon, and then watch with amusement as the angel bounced off the ground. Reversing her grip, she slammed the sword point first into the angel's torso, repeatedly stabbing it. Before it could split in two, she scooped it up with the sword inside still, then tossed it into the air behind her. The Valiabce flew off the sword and crashed into the church, falling in.

"I suppose you meant to do that?" Bayonetta turned, unconcerned about her lack of dress or the fact she was technically starting to destroy yet another city again. Butterfly gave her a wink, then melted away back into her hair, and her hair reformed her clothing. Once all was silent, she heard the light cursing of a young man on the air.

"Oh!" She finally realised what had transpired, and her eyes glinted with amusement. "Why thank you!"

Pushing open the doors, she saw the boy trapped underneath the twitching corpse of the Valiance. Suppressing a smirk, she walked towards the boy, then stood at his head.

"Hey! Love! Help m- oh fuck, its you!" The boy's eyes widened at the view. "You did this!"

"Technically, you are wrong." She folded her arms. "I had nothing to do with this, unless you count me being the catalyst for it to occur. They are after you too?"

"Grrr… Just get me out of here!" The boy continued to struggle. "I have to get to the mountain!"

"Fimbulventr?" She tilted her head and regarded him with curiosity. "You are going there? Have you been keeping secrets from mommy?"

"Y- No!" He lamely denied. "I'm not going to Fimbulventr!"

"Suit yourself." Bayonetta turned and began to walk off. She heard more cursing, then a long sigh from behind her.

"Look, love. Let me make a deal. You save me, and I'll take you to the mountain." He gave her a wry grin. "Then there will be two of us, and it will take two of us to traverse it."

"You seem to have skipped school the day they taught basic negotiation skills." She unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips. "You are supposed to negotiate from a position of strength, little one."

The boy went silent as his expression fell.

"To be honest, I do not have the time nor patience to give a shit about who you are or why you are going to the mountain." She began to pace around in front of the trapped boy, regarding him with a look of irritation. "But I need a guide. Take me there and make it quick."

The boy looked up in surprise, his eyes full of hope. "You mea-"

Bayonetta pulled out her guns and fired them rapidly into the corpse of the Valiance, lifting it off of him and throwing it into the wall. The boy stood up, eyes wide and shaking slightly.

"For the love of Christ, stop that!" He waved at her guns frantically. "I don't like it when people try to attack me, love, and then trick me into thinking I'm going to die!"

"Well, little one, frankly I feel the same." She turned and gestured to the doors behind them. "But you are here to guide me, yes?"

"Loki!" He sighed. "My name is Loki, and you should darn well use it!"

"As I said before, you'll earn your name when you become a man." She began to walk, her long strides causing Loki to half-sprint half-jog in order to just keep pace with her. "And it seems you won't be doing that for quite some time."

…

Damien stared at Madama Khepri as Hope finished explaining the situation and what was now required of him. He was wary of the demon's rage, but he knew that it was subsided.

For now.

"To be honest, I don't see much of an issue with it." She shrugged after a minute of silence. "It would be nice to have a second voice in there to talk to."

"Hold up." Damien finally raised a hand. "Isn't anyone going to ask me on my opinion on all of this?"

Hope turned to him, surprise etched on her features. "_We never thought we had to._"

"Yes! Yes, you do have to!" He burst out, startling the two angels and demon. "If you didn't quite remember, I hate this… thing!" He gestured to Temperentia, who stiffened in response. "And I don't know whether I want to like it! Ever!"

'Valid…" Khepri muttered, turning away. "Very valid…"

"_We were hoping that you would aid us._" Hope answered, looking at him in sorrow. "_We need all the help we can get._"

"I never said I wouldn't aid you." He replied, looking at her solemnly. "I just don't think I would ever ally myself permanently with you!"

The Laguna shifted around uncomfortably.

"_Look, Sephiroth._" Temperentia's use of his alternative name caused him to snap up in attention. "_We do not have a plan if you never helped us._"

"You were expecting me to?!" He frowned, perplexed. "What are you? Stupid?"

"_Naïve._" It boomed. Damien fell silent at the proclamation. "_I am merely twelve months into my tenure as the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance, far too young for the role for the responsibility laid on me. We need something to look to, to believe in, in these dark times. Our forces are gone. Our hope is all but a sliver of what it could be. We need someone!_"

"I am not that one!" He shook his head. "I am not the saviour, the messiah that you think I am! I am just-"

"_You are our overseer. Or you should be._"

Khepri turned around, surprise on her features. "Say what now?"

Temperentia glanced at the Infernal. "_With the false one's death, the Right Eye has been lost, and the Overseer of light is gone. We need someone to fulfil his role, and become his replacement._"

"The Right Eye is gone!" Damien looked at Khepri, who nodded in confirmation. "How can something become its bearer without it?"

"_The Eye is an object of great power. It will not stay 'gone' for long._" Hope answered, stepping forward. "_And the Eye is not required to become an Overseer. All you need is the power to do it._"

Damien finally saw what the angel was getting at, and his face scrunched into confusion. "You want me to become a Lumen Sage?"

"_Indeed._"

"But how? Am I not an Umbra Witch?" He turned again to Khepri, who hesitated instead.

"In theory, you are." She answered. "However, unlike Bayonetta and Jeanne, you never swore yourself to the dark arts; you merely use them. That alone does discount you from becoming a Sage, however, but the ability to use Lumen powers should be well within your grasp, as you have already shown."

He was obviously torn. "I-"

"_What troubles you?_" The Joy stepped beside him, her mouth creased with worry.

"It's Jeanne." He answered, and the two celestials and infernal glanced at each other.

"_What happened with Jeanne, if it is that you are worried about, was a freak accident bought on by the perfect storm._" The Auditio smiled reassuringly at him. "_It's as much as your fault as it is hers._"

"I'm the one who never tells her anything." He said softly, and Hope shook her head.

"_You think that she has been just as truthful as she presents herself?_"

…

"So, love, what brings you to Fimbulventr?" Loki asked as they walked, turning his head slightly to the witch. "The challenge? A love of rock climbing?"

"I'm here to collect a friend. They missed their curfew by a whole day." She answered, lying slightly. She knew better than to trust strange boys with her problems. "And if they are late anymore, I have no idea what I would do."

"Oh." The boy answered sullenly. "You are here to investigate the mountain?"

"To a lesser extent." Bayonetta glanced at the buildings beside them. "I need to find my friend first, then we can both figure out what is going on with the mountain."

"Sounds like a decent deal, love." Loki brightened up. "Maybe I can help you after I figure out why I need to go to the mountain."

"Hold on." Bayonetta stopped and fixed a look of suspicion at the boy. "You are going to the mountain, and you don't know why?"

"Look, love. I don't know why I need to go to the mountain!" The boy yelled at her, defensive. "All I know is that I have to go there, and I don't know shit about whether its because I've been kidnapping these people in my sleep or I have a weird fetish for naturally forming giant rocks!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What is making you go to the mountain?"

"Shut up!" He turned away angrily. "The sooner you get to Fimbulventr, the sooner you leave!"

Bayonetta watched as he stormed away with confused eyes. Letting the power of the Left Eye fill her, she glanced mentally at him, as Damien had taught her long ago.

She found nothing but emptiness.

"Interesting…" She whispered to herself. Letting the power fade, she began to walk behind the muttering boy, becoming suspicious with the lack of angelic activity.

The ground then proceeded to explode as the serpent angel from before appeared in a storm of shrapnel and dust, the impact sending Loki flying towards her. Catching the boy, she felt him transform into a squirrel and crawl onto her shoulder.

"Come on, little one. Even you know that's not the safest place for little boys like you." She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, then let the hair around her chest loosen up. Loki began to struggle, but then accepted his fate as he was placed into her bosom. Tightening it back up, she stared up at the Lagunan serpent circling above them.

"_Umbra witch…_" It hissed, the sound reverberating through the street. "_Where is the Sovereign One?_"

"He is in a place far more heavenly than Paradiso, that's for certain." She smirked slightly, staring coolly back at the angel. "My, could you daresay more about why you want some boy who can transform into a squirrel?"

"_He is required, as are you._" The angel continued to circle above them, looking very much like a vulture. "_Come, get to the mountain with haste!_"

"I would love the offer, but I do think the part of the mountain you want to go to is not exactly where I want to go. Stop moving in there!" She slapped her chest, and a frightened squeak answered her.

"_Remove the Sovereign One from your bosom, witch._" The angel glanced at her, the face on it's underbelly glaring at her with hate. "_That is not the place befitting of his sovereigness._"

"Why don't you come and get him? He is not done guiding me yet." Love is Blue fell into her hands, and she took her stance. "And besides, I think he likes it where he is."

"_Hmph. We will meet again, witch, and I will not be as lenient._" The angel slithered off, causing Bayonetta to stare at it in utter confusion.

"What the fu- Hey! Come back here!" She fired a shot at its retreating tail, and it answered by roaring in Enochian. "I'm not finished with you, feather-face!"

The ground beneath her split apart, and she was thrown into the air.

…

Luka stepped onto the rooftop, signalling for the helicopter to leave. Letting the fresh scent of the ocean air fill his nostrils, he smiled briefly.

"Ah, Noatun. A lovely place, by the scent of it." He glanced around, looking for a sign of his elusive witch. "Sometimes the weirdest of things wash up here, other times the most beautiful of things do."

The sound of the ground splitting near him drew his attention away from that. A hole opened up to the right of him, and debris flew in all directions. Throwing himself down to the ground and placing on his glasses, he glanced up after the dust had settled to see a gigantic serpent angel talking to…

Bayonetta!

He smiled in victory. At least he knew where she was, and that she was in fact here. Now he could take tabs on her and continue his research on the damn mountain. Everything he had found had proved to be a bust, or simply false information.

His attention snapped back as the angel flew away, never engaging Bayonetta. That caused him to frown. Not attacking the famed witch who imprisoned their God? That was very much unangel-like behaviour. Looking closer, he saw her shoot its tail, and it responded by roaring, sending another shockwave through the ground, this time rupturing it where she was. He watched in stunned terror as his girlfriend was launched into the air, and then time began to seemingly slow down.

He took three steps forward, and fired his grappling hook into the side of a building. Taking another step, he threw himself off the building, letting himself fall towards the flailing witch. Reaching out, he smiled slightly. Now this would definitely earn him some brownie points for the future.

Three metres to go.

Her eyes snapped to his, and relief, happiness and confusion flooded them. He smiled at

Two metres until he could finally be called a hero by her.

Her eyes seemed to be asking a question, but Luka wasn't paying attention. This would be a first; the lowly mortal rescuing the damsel in distress witch.

One metre.

He finally looked up into her eyes. They were asking one thing. _What the hell are you doing?_

He prepared to grab her. Half a metre to go.

Her eyes widened. His eyes softened.

He passed right through her.

Looking back at her in shock, he suddenly felt the stupidity of his actions. Of course he couldn't touch her. She was in Purgatorio for God's sake! He glanced ahead, and paled.

"OHHHHHHHHHH SHIIII-" He was cut off as he slammed into the wall, his new hat flying off. Peeling off of it, he plummeted to the ground.

He didn't hit the ground, but rather fell into two arms.

"Cheshire?" Bayonetta's voice was not the distorted version that grated his ears when she spoke to him from Purgatorio, rather it was soft and real.

"Hey…" He opened his eyes and stared at hers. "Looks like I fucked up again."

"You mean that you forgot… yet again." She rolled her eyes. "You do know I'm not going to be here to catch you all the time?"

"Oh, I know." He grinned. "But one day I'll catch you. It's fated."

She snorted and dropped him. Landing on his backside with a grunt, he quickly scrambled to his feet as she grabbed his hat and tested it out, admiring it in a nearby window.

"Nice costume." She commented as she tossed the hat back to him.

"Why thank you." He caught it and replaced it onto his head, pulling his cable to release the grappling hook. "Thought I might dress the part."

Bayonetta smirked at him, the insult dancing at her lips. He smirked in reply, then grew serious.

"It's a good thing I ran into you." He began as he walked alongside her. "Finding any information on this mountain, or why it is so significant is proving to be a lot harder than it looks."

"Are you sure it wasn't a man look?" She lightly teased. He sent back a look of annoyance.

"I'm sure. It's not that I can't find it; it's more that it simply doesn't exist." He continued. "Everything that you think would have information on Fimbulventr? Doesn't."

"You think someone removed that information, don't you?" She shook her head slightly. "While I do agree that it might be the case, I don't think that it might be the truth."

"I agree, but I'm not ruling it out." He stopped and turned to her. "However, I do know who used to live there."

"Live there?" She stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Lord Aesir, the God of Chaos, the creator, the overseer, liege of the mortal realm." He listed off.

"The God of Chaos?" She folded her arms and looked down, thinking. Luka took this opportunity to continue.

"That's generally why this place has gateways to each realm of the trinities; including the Gates of Hell."

She nodded. "Old info is old info, Cheshire. Although the context is nice, I guess."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more." He replied, his expression falling. She reached out and pulled him into a hug, the two letting each other's presence and warmth fill them.

"You are doing more than most people… hell, some people, would ever try." She whispered. "And that's more than good enough for me."

He broke the embrace and stepped back. "Now, I best be off. I do think I need to find out more about this Aesir; my investigative gut is pulling at that."

She nodded. "Good searching, Luka."

"Have fun, Cere- what the?!" Luka jumped back as a squirrel leaped from Bayonetta's bosom, only to be thwarted by her deft fingers grabbing him.

Luka straightened up and examined it. "Some squirrels get all the nuts… You're a luck little fella, huh?"

"What can I say? I took a liking to one of the locals." She placed the squirrel into her hand and began to pet it.

"So, he is your little tour guide? Stranger things have happened." He winked at her, then flicked his wrist as his grappling hook fired into a wall.

"Take care." She blushed slightly and smiled as he left, then laughed as his hook fell, and he plummeted down to the ground in a crash.


	6. Chapter 5: In Charm and Allure

_Author's Note: All elements of the Bayonetta universe are the property of Platinum Games. Now that's a fancy pants way to start._

Chapter 5: In Charm and Allure

"Sometimes, our resident Cheshire needs a little training." Bayonetta smirked as Loki retransformed into himself. "Or restraint."

"Who was that? Your boyfriend, love?" Loki turned to her, slightly perplexed. "I must say, you chose the biggest pervert on this side of the world."

"Pervert?" She turned to him in surprise. "What on earth made you think that?"

"He couldn't take his eyes off of your tits." Loki smiled as she blushed slightly. "And I would know, because he was staring right at me."

"He is allowed to look!" She defended, then changed the topic. "So, little one, what is this 'Sovereign One' business all about? Are you some long lost King of Hearts, separated from his Queen?"

"Sorry love, haven't got a clue." He replied, beginning to walk ahead. "I don't suppose you know?"

"Why would I ask you if I already knew?" She gave him a look, and he shrugged.

"I don't know, love." He returned her look of annoyance with one of questioning. "Maybe it's because you just happened to be here when the angels show up. What the fuck are you, anyway?"

"I am an Umbra Witch." She glared down at him, letting her Left Eye glow red. "And the Umbran Elder, the wielder of the Left Eye of Darkness!"

"Impressive titles." He snorted and walked away. Biting down a growl of rage at his attitude, she followed him.

"Now, this way is the way to Fimbulventr." He gestured ahead to the relatively untouched street, and Bayonetta frowned.

"How do you know this is the way forward?" She raised an eyebrow as her long strides matched his pace easily. "You don't even know why you want to go there, yet you somehow know the way forward?"

"Call it a feeling, love." He gritted his teeth. "I feel like this is the right way forward."

"In my experience, that is called a woman's intuition." She turned her gaze to navigating the streets, taking care to keep the mortal realm in the same piece as she walked.

Loki then slammed his hands onto his head and collapsed to his knees. Her eyes rolled slightly, and she continued to walk onwards.

"What's wrong now, little one?" She turned around when it became evident he wasn't going to follow her. He summoned a card with a small burst of blue energy, and she stopped as he pointed it at her in a warning.

He then screamed and stood up, both hands now back onto his head. Reality started to flicker around him, and she drew her guns up in preparation for a fight. Loki screamed again, and images popped out of his head and in front of the pair.

"What's this?" She dropped her guns and stepped forward, eyeing the images with suspicion. Inside of them was Loki, and a hooded boy that looked exactly like him, but was dressed in blues and blacks.

He tossed the card and it shattered the images, breaking her out of her distraction.

Then she became acutely aware of the sound of rushing water to her right, and a quick glance showed her a massive tidal wave heading in their direction.

"Well, shit." She muttered under her breath and prepared to transform with snake within. Loki, however, seemed to remember something as he clapped his hands together, and blue magic poured out from them. Letting some of it wash over her, she gasped at the sensation.

"Pure time…" She absorbed it, then activated a heightened version of witchtime. Loki nodded to her and transformed into a squirrel. Letting him jump onto her back, Bayonetta transformed into a panther and sprinted across the now hardened water.

Jumping onto the other side of the quay, she retransformed as Loki did the same.

"Where did you learn that trick, little one?" She asked, impressed. "Witch's, or Sages for that matter, can only influence time, not utilise it."

"C'mon love!" His jittery and terrified voice reminded her exactly who she was speaking with. "Y-you think I'm just going to tell you my secrets when I don't even know who's side you're on?!"

"Yes." She answered coolly, and he rolled his eyes as he started to walk, gesturing as he did so.

"Alright! It seems I can control the 'Remembrance of Time.' That's a big deal here." He stopped outside of a pair of sealed stone doors, and she appraised him.

"It seems?" She questioned, and he scratched his head.

"I mean…" He trailed off, then remembered his statement. "No! I have nothing else to say, love."

"The Remembrance…" She glanced at the silver Umbran watch in her hand, reading the time left for Jeanne. _A little under three days._

"What's that you are looking at?" He glanced over to see her put the watch onto one of her sleeves.

"Right." She sent a wicked punch into the door, opening it. "Let's go."

…

"What do you mean, hasn't been as truthful as she presents herself?" Damien asked, perplexed. "She has told me nothing but the truth!"

"_Let's not worry about that._" Temperentia glanced to Hope, and she returned it with a nod. "_We have more important matters to attend to._"

"_Damien, I know you have every reason in the world to not help us, or even side with us, but please._" The angel grabbed his hand, and to it's surprise, he didn't pull away. "_Help us. Become our unofficial Overseer._"

"You might want to." Khepri stated, and he turned to look at the demon. "It's not exactly going to hurt anyone."

He hesitated, then nodded his head. "Alrighty then. How?"

The entire room when silent.

"_Do you know how, sire?_" A random Joy asked, and Temperentia frowned.

"_I never learnt the ritual._" The Auditio growled in anger, and Hope stepped forward in shock.

"_But how?_" It exclaimed, gesturing at the colossal angel with surprise. "_You attended thousands of them, at least!"_

"_I never thought it was worth learning."_

"Then how am I supposed to become your Overseer now?" Damien angrily kicked the floor. "If there is no way to bind with you or become a Lumen Sage?"

The Auditio screamed and drew its fist back, preparing to punch the wall, until it realised something.

"Ahem!" Khepri stood forward, her heels clicking on the stone. "I know the ritual."

"_As I suspected…_" Temperentia smiled in relief, then frowned. _"But how?"_

"Mistress of Time? I can just see the ritual if need be." She smirked. "And besides, I've personally been to one."

"_What?!"_ The Auditio thundered, and the angels began to whisper amongst themselves. "_Impossible! I would have sensed you!_"

"You weren't looking in the right spot." She shrugged, then turned to her contracted. "Are you willing to spread your soul amongst four beings?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitation. "Anything for her."

Khepri nodded. "Then repeat after me."

He nodded in return, then paused to listen.

"_I swear, until all suns have set, to always guard the light and keep it safe. I swear to keep the forces of darkness at bay, no matter the cost. I swear upon my honour as a Lumen Sage, that the balance will be kept._" She incantated, and he repeated her.

"Lord Temperentia! The Manipulator of Winds, the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance!" She called out, and memories swirled in all the angels. "A contract has been offered!"

"_Damien, I accept your plea for aid, and your request for a contract._" Words that were spoken millions of times poured from its lips. "_May Jubileus, the Creator, grace you on your journey and path to enlightenment!_"

A small glow appeared on his chest, and Damien collapsed, breathing raggedly. Hope stepped forward, but a glance from Khepri stopped it.

"_May the light shine forever more!_" Temperentia finished, and the glow faded.

Damien kept breathing, letting the new powers settle. As far as he could tell, nothing was new; aside from being able to summon Temperentia in battle, the effects had simply augmented his existing abilities.

"_How do you feel?_" Hope appeared in his vision, its mouth in a tight line of concern. He reflected on the question, searching.

How did he feel?

"Honestly?" He turned to her. "I can't tell you."

"That's the normal reaction." Khepri smiled in relief. "At least nothing went wrong."

"_If you all will excuse me._" The Auditio closed its eyes. "_I will rest. Damien should return to the mortal realm soon._"

"I agree." Khepri looked at the suitcase. "But before all of that, we have some clothing we need to see."

"_Huh?_" Hope looked at her with a questioning glance. "_What clothes?_"

"The ones in the suitcase. Duh." The mistress of time rolled her eyes. Damien frowned at her, then turned his attention to the case. He then, and only then, realised what he must have looked like.

"I probably should put on a new change of clothes, Rodin didn't give me these for nothing." He glanced at his hole-ridden cloak. The angels and demon nodded emphatically. Kneeling, he undid the clasps and opened it. Hope gasped, Khepri frowned and Damien looked at it in confusion.

"A white robe?" He pulled it out, then corrected himself. "A white coat?"

"_That's a Lumen robe._" Hope corrected him. "_The last one of those I've seen was on Balder._"

"Interesting choice, Rodin." Khepri whistled. "Sometimes I wonder whether that man truly doesn't have foresight."

"Is there a place I can try it on?" He turned to the Joy. "It's better than nothing, I suppose."

"_There is-_" Hope then suddenly grunted as Khepri kicked her. "_What in the name of Jubileus was that for?_"

The demon turned away, grinning. Shaking its head, Hope turned back to him. "_There is-_"

She was silenced as Khepri placed a hand over her mouth. "There's nothing, my contracted. Now change."

Damien raised an eyebrow, but proceeding to let his coat fall to the floor, revealing his bare chest. Hope began to struggle violently, then freed herself to turn around, her cheeks rapidly becoming crimson. The winged man closed his eyes in embarassment as Khepri laughed and laughed hard.

"The Cardinal Virtue of Chastity!" She proclaimed to the embarrassed angel. "That is exactly what you are!"

"_Shut. Up._" The two words were enough to make Khepri fall over, laughing harder. The angels surrounding them began to snicker, and even Damien broke a smile.

…

"You don't just walk into Fimbulventr, love." Loki stopped her on a tall bridge they gazed upon the side of the mountain. "We are going to have to get creative if we are ever going to make it."

"Creative how?" Bayonetta felt that something was slightly off. Not enough to warrant her guns out and blazing, but enough to set her on edge. "Unless you have a teleportation device nearby, we are going to have to walk."

"You? Walk up a mountain in those heels?" The boy turned to her and grinned. "Fat chance. Now, look over there."

She followed his pointing hand to a strange building that looked like a mace implanted hilt first into the ground. "That's the Cathedral of Cascades and, if memory serves me right, it was used for ritual worship of the mountain."

"Ritual worship of the mountain…" She repeated, her mind spinning. "Are you saying there's something in there we can use to get to the top?"

"My powers should be able to control a device called the 'Bridge to the Heavens.'" He nodded, then grimaced. "Unfortunately…"

He gripped his head in pain as he trailed off. Bayonetta stepped forward, her face showing concern. "Little one?"

"It can only take us halfway up the mountain." He painfully spat out. "I remember now…"

"You've been here before?" She put a hand on his forehead, noting the lack of body heat underneath her glove.

"Possibly." He shook away the pain and grinned at her. "An express pass, right, love?"

"Seems something finally came to mind, little one." She smiled back. "While you are in the remembering mood, you wouldn't happen to know where the entrance to Inferno is up there, would you?"

"Inferno?" His grinned faded into a look of confusion. "You must be in some shit if you are thinking about going there."

She stared at him with a serious expression. "I have a party I need to attend, and I have no intentions of being late."

"Let me put it this way, love." Loki gestured at the church, and then to Fimbulventr. "Once we get to the mountain, you'll get your choice of going up or going down. Fimbulventr doesn't let you stick around."

"And which way will you be going?" She offhandedly asked, and he collapsed to his knees, clutching his temples.

"Shut up!" His voice sounded terrified, and she saw his blue eyes for the first time. "Just get me to the mountain!"

"Little one!" She reached out, and he slapped her hand away from him, pulling out cards and throwing them. She swayed to the sides to dodge them, her face showing the confused hurt she was feeling.

"Get away from me!" He half threatened, half warned. Bayonetta frowned, holding her hands up in a peaceful gesture.

_Hold on._

Warned?

The bridge exploded as a typhoon rose from the water beneath them, sending Loki flying and Bayonetta into a defensive pose. The serpentine angel from before rose out of the swirling mass of water, grabbing the helpless boy with one clawed hand, using the other to guide it back into the typhoon.

"_Bothersome child._" It stated, its main head watching Bayonetta with contempt. "_The Prophetic one tires of your reluctance to continue your ascent of the mountain, and he demands your presence immediately!_"

Bayonetta had heard enough, jumping off of the bridge with a wicked punch, sending it straight into the nose of the angel.

"Give him back!" She grabbed a car door and began to ride it in the water, using a mixture of witchtime, witch walk and serpent-within to keep her upright. "We will get up the mountain at our own pace!"

"_Umbra witch…_" The Angel dove into the typhoon, hiding itself from her. "_Why do you pursue me?_"

"This little one has made me a deal." She chased after it, firing pot shots at anything that appeared above the water. "He's my guide, and he is not done guiding."

"_Then follow me, if you must._" It dove into the spout itself, and Bayonetta gave chase, jumping off of the makeshift surfboard and diving after it.

"I think we want to be going in entirely different directions." She muttered to herself, transforming into a snake to follow it. The familiar sense of Paradiso filled her, and she passed through the portal without much difficultly, retransforming into her humanoid form.

…

Damien approached the laughing Madama with annoyance.

"You've been laughing for five minutes." He folded his arms. "Come on, pull yourself together."

"But it is so tr-" Her eyes widened and she hurried to stand back up. "What the fuck."

"_A Sage has not step foot in Paradiso in over five hundred years._" Temperentia looked at the white clad man with reverence. "_The last to do so was your progenitor, and that was to poison our judgement._"

"You look exactly like…" Khepri stopped herself. "No, I can't say that."

"Who?" Damien tilted his head. "Who do I look like?"

"If I tell you-" Khepri began.

"Yeah, yeah. Something wrong will happen in the future." He nodded, then frowned. "So, who is this Prophet?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?!" He shouted in anger. "It's obvious that knowing who this person is will help me in the long run!"

"I can't tell you because I do not know!" She replied, anger flashing in her eyes. "Whoever the Prophet is, they simply do not exist in a way so I can see who they are!"

"_What do you mean?_" Hope had returned, its features under control. "_You don't know who he is?_"

"Whoever it is, they exist outside of time." She turned to the angel. "A force beyond reality itself."

"Beyond time?" Damien felt a sense of déjà vu. Khepri nodded, keeping her face in the opposite direction.

"Your fate is not the same." She revealed. "To be beyond time is to exist within it, but to be unreadable and directionless. You simply will not exist in this time."

Hope turned to the winged man "_What?! What does she mean?_"

"_Cease this._" Temperentia rose, looking to the roof of the cavern. "_There is a dis- Umbra?_"

"Umbra?" Khepri frowned, then unfocussed briefly. "Oh."

"Bayonetta?" Damien leaped onto the shoulder of the Auditio. "She's here?"

"_Glamor._" It growled, staring off into the distance. "_She will deal with it._"

…

Bayonetta opened her eyes as her wings snapped out, the angel ahead of her speeding up.

"Come on!" She urged herself, speeding up to match the pace it was setting. _Madama! Can you give me a boost?_

She smiled at the answer. Letting Malphas's wings fade away, she curled into a ball.

"PDEE BARMA!" She felt a demon form behind her, and a hand enclosed her. Three seconds later, she was hurtling towards the angel, her eyes narrowed and focused on one thing.

"Fire!" She screamed as two fists appeared by her sides, Madama Butterfly flying alongside her. Smashing into the angel's stomach and face, she sent a flurry of weaves into its face as Butterfly grabbed it to keep it from moving.

The angel roared in pain, and tried to shake clear of the Infernal holding it. "_Impudent witch! Stop interfering!_"

"I don't recall asking for anyone's permission." She smirked as the flesh tore away to reveal a mechanical skeleton. "I interfere where I like."

"_The overseer of darkness, protecting the Sovereign One?_" It seemed to laugh. "_He was right, right down to your words!"_

"Actually, I was wrong about our final destination." She jumped back. "Butterfly! He's all yours!"

The Infernal looked at her, a question in its eyes.

"Oh fuck, I forgot about the boy." Flying forward, she set a weave into its face, and it spat out an unconscious Loki, and then sent several sharpened icicles in their direction. Cursing, she dodged the projectiles and watched as Loki plummeted back through the portal, and towards Noatun. Glancing up at Madama Butterfly, she nodded to her.

Butterfly opened a portal to Inferno behind her and began to enter it, dragging the screaming angel with it. Letting the wings fade, she followed after Loki, letting gravity take her.

…

"_The threat to the Sovereign One is finished._" Temperentia announced as it floated back down, Damien looking at it in confusion.

"Sovereign One?" He questioned. "What else haven't you told me?"

"_All will be revealed in due time._" Hope answered as he jumped to the ground. "_You need to head back._"

"As do I." Khepri opened a portal behind her. "My presence here will attract something unhealthy."

"Madama." Damien stopped her, and she turned to him in annoyance.

"What? You can talk to me at any time, and you know that."

"I just want to say thank you." He looked down in shame. "For sticking with me through all this time."

Her face softened. "I knew you would do the right thing. You are welcome, my contracted."

She disappeared, and the red portal faded to nothing. Damien turned to the Auditio, looking at it with acceptance.

"_You must make haste._" It's fingers began to spin, and a portal opened up. "_I can speak telepathically to you as well; do not hesitate to ask upon my counsel if need be._"

"Understood." He nodded, then turned to the Joy.

"_Good luck, Overseer of Light._" It smiled. "_We are counting on you._"

"I will stop this." He swore to them. "This realm will become normal again."

He turned and jumped into the portal, disappearing and reappearing back in the mortal realm. He immediately frowned at his surroundings.

"Vigrid?" He looked around in confusion. "Why am I here? Bayonetta isn't here!"

_She is in Noatun._ Temperentia answered. _This way._

Images appeared in his mind, and he understood which direction he needed to go. His wings sprouted from underneath his cloak, and he leaped to the sky.

_Ten minutes._

_Ten minutes until he could set this right._


	7. Chapter 6: The Three Meet

_Author's Note: All of Bayonetta belongs to Platinum Games._

Chapter 6: The Three Meet

_Zip!_

Luka gave a small grin of appreciation to his grappling hook as it stayed in the wall this time. Giving it a few hard tugs, he felt it wasn't going to fall out under his own weight.

"Looks like this cat still has a few tricks up his sleeve." He quipped to himself, adjusting his hat, the grin transforming into a large smile. Jumping from the building he was standing on, he began to swing in towards Noatun. Night was beginning to fall, and he felt that it would probably be the best thing if he caught up with Bayonetta, instead of trying to fend for himself in a foreign city. Glancing to the horizon, he saw perhaps half a dozen hotels in the distance, something he remembered Vigrid being infamous for not having. Grasping onto the heavy satchel on his left arm more tightly, he let momentum pull his path towards the docks.

The slight distraction proved sufficient enough as something flew into his face without warning. Yelling in surprise, he felt the thing clamp onto his face in terror, and then his grappling hook fell out.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh shit!" Luka screamed as he landed hard onto a rooftop, leaving a dent and bouncing once before crashing to a stop. Whatever had collided with him was now gone, and he glanced around in confusion. "What the fuck was- who the fuck are you?"

A small boy barely in the ranks of teenagerhood stared back at him in surprise.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" He asked, puzzled slightly.

"Oh, you're the pervert that stares at Bayonetta's tits all the time." The boy dismissed him and stood up. "But that's not the matter, especially at this moment of time. Where is Fimbulventr? Where is the mountain?"

"Hey, kid, It's right there!" Luka called out as he stood up. "And you don't want to be going to Fimbulventr-"

He abruptly stopped as the boy transformed into a flying squirrel and flew off into the city.

"Oh." He simply said, shaking his head. "Some kids do get all the nuts."

Then he fully processed what the child had said. "Hey! I am no pervert! She's my goddamn girlfriend!"

Snapping his wrist, he followed after the boy, letting his body fly through the air with practised ease.

…

Bayonetta smirked as she landed on the rooftop she had seen Luka and Loki crash onto. Bending her knees to absorb the shock, she looked at the man-shaped dent on the roof ahead of her.

"So much for landing on your feet, Cheshire." She teased. Oh, she was so going to get him later. That was simply beautiful.

Standing up, she began to observe the city at dusk. It certainly was a beautiful sight, beating any others she had seen. Taking it in for a second, she quickly turned her attention back to the task at hand. She had been here one full day and Fimbulventr was no closer than before.

"I really think that no one wants us on the mountain." She said to herself, walking to the edge, watching as the moon appeared out from under the clouds and began to strengthen her powers. "Or they have a warped idea of a-"

Someone was watching her.

…

The Lumen Sage stared down in undisguised hatred.

She was here. In the flesh.

His most hated enemy, withstanding one.

He gripped his two-ended glaive a little tighter, letting his rage fill him.

How could she be so carefree with the blood on her soul? It angered him at how casual she was with her movements, her words, just everything about her.

_She killed your family._ The Prophetic One's words echoed in his head. _She feels no remorse. If anything, she is happy that she was the one to take away their spark!_

His Eye started screaming in warning. A falling icicle from the witch's little fight with the Glamor was about to hit him. Slicing backwards with his weapon, he sensed it cleave into two, but the sound and action were enough to reveal him location to the witch. Entering lightspeed, he stalked off, searching for the boy.

Vengeance for her actions would come later. It was time to cut the snake off at the head.

…

Bayonetta twisted around and pulled out Love is Blue, pointing them at a nearby rooftop. She knew someone was watching her. Her Eye had told her someone was there. And aside from Luka, who she had just seen zipping his way back to the main city itself, she didn't know anyone who would willingly stalk her.

No one was there.

However, there was evidence someone was there, and quite recently too. Dust was settling on the roof, and two perfectly cut pieces of ice hit the water, causing distinct splashes to echo in the calm, silent night.

She really didn't like this. This all felt…

Wrong.

Letting the guns drop back into Inferno, she turned and ran and activated witch walk, jumping from building to building.

The sooner she caught up with Loki and Luka, the easier it was all going to become. Something was off about this place, something she didn't want to address yet.

…

Damien breathed out heavily as he landed onto a rooftop of Noatun. The flight from Vigrid had not been particularly difficult, but boy.

He really didn't want to repeat that.

He hoped he wasn't too late. He also hoped he hadn't made a huge mistake coming to help Bayonetta. He knew in his heart that he wasn't the same person as he was a week ago, but they certainly didn't know that. Hell, the last anyone had seen of him was him ripping Jeanne's heart in two.

He felt a wave of nausea pass through him. He did that. He hurt her.

Closing his eyes, he felt the calming presence of Khepri fill his psyche, and the encouraging whispers from Temperentia and resident Lagunan and Infernal.

Opening his eyes, he immediately noticed Luka slinging himself around, seeming focussing on something underneath him. Squinting, he saw flashes of orange as something ran towards the fountain square in the distance.

_Luka?_ He gently prodded into the man's mind. The mortal screamed, then lost his concentration as he plummeted into a wall. At least that particular mental connection was still available.

_What the f- you are here too?! What the fuck do you have to say for yourself?! _Luka screamed mentally, and Damien winced.

_I… _He began, his words sounding alien to his own ears. _I'm sorry._

_That is not going to cut it with any of us, and you know it!_ He barked back. _You…_

_I told you this was a bad idea!_ He ignored Luka for the minute and turned his attention to his patrons.

_Silence. You do deserve every bit of this, young one. _Temperentia answered with a grim tone.

_Big Temps here is right. _Khepri added. _But you have got to be the bigger man and be who they once thought of you._

…_and just where are you anyway?_ Luka finished as he returned his attention to him. _If you are about, you might want to know what's going on before you stupidly run into the Gates and get yourself killed. _

_I'm on the rooftops. I'm wearing white robes now. _He added. _You might not recognize me._

_Oh, I see you. _Damien began to frown. _I see you all right. Strange clothes, huh._

He was looking in the complete opposite direction to where he was.

_Where is your wing anyway?_

…

Loki ran through the crowds of people, pushing them to the side.

"Hey! Watch it!" One man yelled as he pushed him to the side. "Little punk!"

"I'm sorry!" The boy answered, not turning his head around. "But there is no time! I have to get to the mountain!"

His running slowed to a crawl as he entered an empty square with a fountain in the centre.

"But… Why do I have to go there? What is on the mountain?" He put a hand onto his head as it began to throb. "What is so bloody important about Fimbulventr!?"

Pain engulfed his head as memories forced themselves to the forefront of his head. Collapsing to his knees, both hands on his head, he tried to make sense of them.

He couldn't. They were just random images of him talking to a boy that looked a lot like him.

Screaming in frustration and agony, he lifted himself to his feet and began to drag himself forward.

"If I get there…" His mouth was moving, but the voice wasn't his. Not truly. "I will know the answer…"

A soft thump from behind him broke him out of his state.

"I'm sorry mate, love, whoever the fuck is behind me; I need to get to the mountain!" He turned around, anger flashing in his concealed eyes. "If I don't, then this- woah!"

Opposite his stood a tall man, clad in white robes. His head was hooded, and his face concealed behind a golden mask. One hand was clenched tightly around something, the other was grasping a golden quarter staff with two wicked blades at either end.

"Who are you?!" Loki asked the man in fear. The man did not answer and opted to tilt his head slightly.

"Nice mask mate? If you are after the witch and her mad little tea party, then I'm probably the right person to speak to." Loki blustered, smiling slightly in sudden bravery. "Not the best costume I've ever seen, but she's probably not the picky type."

"Where is she?" The masked man asked quietly. He could barely pick it up, but all the bravado fell when he heard the amount of rage masked within those words.

"You are going to her party? Quite the popular one, isn't she? Look; she and I have a special relationship." Everything was now pure adrenaline. "I don't know anything about her, and she doesn't know anything about me. To be honest, I think our relationship is more symbiotic than anything. "

The man straightened up. "Answer the question, boy."

"Look, I don't know!" Loki backed away from the man. "If you want to find her, your best bet is to go to Fimbulventr! That's where everyone and their dog is going nowadays!"

"She is not here?" The masked man had the slightest of joy in his words. Loki went pale at that tone.

That wasn't a happy joy.

"Then this will be all the easier!" The man pointed the end of his weapon at the boy.

Loki felt lightheaded. "Oh, shit."

Not someone to let someone threaten him without a fight, the young man summoned four cards and flung them at the man. The man merely summoned a small feather, almost lazily, and tossed it through the cards, rendering them useless and continuing in towards the boy.

"Oh shit!" Loki threw himself to the side as the feather smashed its way through the fountain behind him and ended up sticking out of the wall.

A shadow fell over his body. Turning back to find the man looming over him, Loki screamed in primal fear and scrambled as he ran.

…

Bayonetta heard the scream, and her heart went cold. She knew that scream.

That was Loki's voice crying out in terror.

Transforming into a panther, she ran across the rooftops in a rush, ignoring the damage she was dealing to the various objects sticking up from them. She would not let another friend, no matter how annoying they were, die again.

The sounds of battle filled her ears, and she quickened her pace. The little one was not going to be sticking around for much longer at this rate. Breaking out of Purgatorio, she ran through the crowds swiftly, pushing aside already annoyed and terrified people. She didn't particularly care about them.

Get to Loki. She was laser focused on this goal. She could apologise later to the mortals. But now, she had to get to the boy.

Turning into the square, she found a strange man with a familiar weapon attacking Loki. Whereas Loki was trying his hardest to dodge everything and to try to attack back with his cards, the masked man was simply dispelling everything with a click of his fingers and sending the boy flying with intricate combos or small uses of weak magic.

The fight was horrifically one-sided. It was a relief to her that he wasn't dead, and now she could get to the bottom of this particular thorn in her side.

Transforming from the panther, she jumped in, her heels blazing. Connecting with the glaive and blocking an attack that certainly would've sliced Loki in two, she pushed the weapon away. Loki yelped in surprise, and the man grunted in shock, then jumped back and appraised the situation. Landing lightly, Bayonetta stared down the white figure, studying him.

"What kind of adult picks on little children?" Bayonetta snapped at the man, her head turning slightly to glance at the now hood-less boy. His grey eyes were wide in terror, and his braided white hair was curious to say the least; he looked a lot older than what he was visibly.

"I'm not a child!" Loki indignantly cried out as he stood, the witch stepping in between the two.

"A mask? Let me guess." She adjusted her glasses and rested a hand on her chin. "Is this one of your friends, little one?"

"Nothing comes to mind, love. Sorry." The masked man seemed to be content with waiting as he watched their interactions. "Maybe you have something to tell me, love? I'm not a fan of getting wrapped up in domestic disputes."

"One; stop calling me love. Two; trust me, he is not my type." Bayonetta began to feel the anticipation growing. The masked man was growing restless, and if she was honest, so was she. Tilting her head, she smirked an obvious challenge at the man.

He answered by twisting and tossing his glaive at her like a spear. Leaning to the side to let it pass over her, she was equally surprised by its speed and the fact he was now on the other side, catching the weapon. He didn't give up his advantage, swinging the glaive in long, graceful arcs. Using the Love is Blue to deflect the strikes, she sprayed a few bullets around to try to get him to back off. The man merely leaned out of the way, continuing his assault.

Changing tactics, she grabbed onto his glaive after he overcommitted on a downwards swipe, spinning around and unbalancing him. Activating her right heel, she sent what she felt was enough bullets to kill an elephant directly at his face.

Only for them to drop out of his hand milliseconds later.

Gasping in surprise, she momentarily forgot where she was as the man regained his balance and tossed her away. Readjusting herself for the landing, she landed in a crouch, now staring in complete wariness at the man.

"You…" Her eyes were wide. "You're a Lumen Sage?"

"Stay out of this fight, Umbra Witch." The Sage snarled at her. "His sins are far less forgiving than yours!"

"You will not touch the little one." She growled back, standing up straight. The Sage gripped his weapon tighter. Loki began to back off, momentarily forgotten.

Then all hell broke loose.

He began by flinging himself at her, glaive spinning wildly. Bayonetta slipped underneath, priming a wicked uppercut. The Sage seemed to recognise this, as he clicked his fingers and seven meteors formed around him, and then gestured at her to send them flying. Cursing at his ingenuity, she pulled the weave and focused on dodging past the rocks. Slipping past the final one, she saw him click his fingers again.

"ZIRACAH!" A portal to Paradiso opened, and one of the heads of Fortitudo rocketed out, attempting to slam into her. Jumping to the side, she snarled in annoyance.

"Is that how you want to play, huh?" She let her power flow out as she grew serious. "Come and get it, then!"

A scream from her left distracted her.

"Oh- WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

"Little one?" She turned her head to the left but didn't quite see what Loki was looking at. A swipe into the back of her head knocked her down, and then she felt his glaive slice into her forearm, ripping apart her glove and tearing her skin open. Screaming in pain, she looked back to see the Sage swinging in for the kill. Staring defiantly at the mask as he did, she felt her regrets beginning to seep into the forefront of her mind.

_Luka, Jeanne… Damien… _She hardened her gaze. _I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything._

A loud pop and clang interrupted her thoughts, and her death. Staring at the glaive in shock, she saw it had been stopped by a katana. A very familiar katana, attached to a… white body?

It did not matter. The black wing alone was enough proof.

"You dare…!" Damien growled softly.

The Sage jumped back, disengaging and now studying the winged man with what Bayonetta believed to be confusion.

"My Lumen brother…" The Masked Lumen dropped his glaive and held out an arm. "What is the meaning of this? Why do you protect the ones that slaughtered us?"

"You got it all wrong, for starters." Damien stepped between Bayonetta and the Sage. "I am no Lumen, and she is my sister!"

"Then why are you dressed as one of us?" The Sage asked, and Bayonetta was asking the same question in her own head. Their robes were identical, albeit the hole in the back to accommodate for his wing.

"A Lumen Sage?" He sounded puzzled. "I thought you were all-"

"I did too, until now." The Masked Lumen stepped forward. "Brother, remember what they did to us. Remember what they did! You cannot fight to save those who have harmed us the most!"

"My only experience with a Lumen Sage is twenty years of torture." Damien snapped. "I am not truly ever one of them, and I never will be!"

"Very well, traitor!" The glaive reappeared in his hand. "Allow me to beat some sense back into your sanity!"

Damien took his stance, and Bayonetta felt herself tearing up.

"Come on love, we need to get out of here." Loki reached down to her and pulled her to her feet.

"No! I need to know." She pushed him off and cradled her injured arm. "I need to know!"

"Who is he?" The boy asked, obviously confused.

"My idiotic brother." She smiled slightly, then grew serious. "Who has a lot to pay for."

…

Damien concentrated on the man across from him, watching for any sign of movement. It seemed the Sage was content with letting him make the first move, however, as he stood steadfast in the centre of the courtyard.

"Show me your strength, brother." The Sage mocked him, gesturing for him to come forward. "Or are you scared of me?"

Damien shot forward, Shuraba held by his hip. Lunging, he tried to slice through the Sage during a split second. The man had none of that, twirling the glaive around, deflecting each swing, then connecting fully to block the attack. Taking up his challenge, the winged man teleported back, taking the offensive through starting with sweeps of the katana. Using the glaive to push the attacks along, the man then threw his glaive, causing Damien to lean to the side. Catching it behind him, the man then swung it in a deadly arc aimed at his neck.

"Here's a thought." Damien whispered as he teleported behind the man, catching him by surprise. "Don't use my tricks against me."

"Impossible." The Sage diverted his swing to follow behind him, and Damien was forced to go on the defence. "Not even the Lumen Father mastered teleportation!"

"Get used to it." He blocked the glaive and began to push it back. The man then split it in two, much to everyone's surprise, and swung them both like batons, pushing Damien back to regroup.

Rejoining the glaive together, the Sage clicked his fingers.

"SIZICIEL!" Several fireballs appeared in a circle around him and shot at Damien with tremendous speed. Cursing, he threw himself to the side, letting his magic wrap around the Shuraba. Swinging it, he sent several beams of energy towards the Sage, causing the latter to also curse and back off to regroup.

"LAVAVOTH!" The Sage gestured, and a lava vent split open underneath Damien. Rolling his eyes, he teleported behind the Sage again, who seemed to expect that particular trick. Lava shot out of the vent where he was as the Sage thrusted his empty palm out, sending a column of time towards him. Twisting around the attack, Damien prepared, and then began to incantate

"TELOAH ERM MAELPEREJI DOA-" He was interrupted by a slice of the glaive, and he cursed as the Ultima spell faded. "Oh fuck off!"

"Enough of this!" The Sage jumped up, landing onto a rooftop and pulling a feather out and tossing it to the sky. "ZIRACAH!"

A portal to Paradiso opened up, and Fortitudo descended upon the pair, its heads growling.

"PDEE BARMA!" Damien also gestured, and Madama Khepri rose from behind him.

"Khepri?!" The Sage screamed. "You are a witch!?"

"I'm neither!" Damien jumped up to meet him, landing onto the edge of the building as the two beings began to fight. "Stop assuming things!"

"Of all the demons to form a pact with." The Sage sounded disgusted. "Why that one?"

"Wasn't my choice." Damien swung down, letting the glaive deflect his strike. "Now leave!"

"My revenge will come this day!" The Sage ignored him, taking the offensive. Slamming his palm into the ground, he staggered the winged man with the impact. Raising it up again, golden light began to gather into it, and Fortitudo was beginning to charge up his fire breath in the background.

"LAVAVOTH!" Damien copied the Sage's actions from earlier, and lava burst out from underneath him, staggering him and causing the gathered magical energy to dissipate. Grunting in pain, he sent out a kick and slice with the glaive, both stunning and cutting the winged man's thigh. Giving out a yelp of pain, Damien jumped back, giving the two combatants some space. In the background, Khepri had latched onto the Auditio, and was beginning to drag it down to the portal beneath her.

The Sage had realised her intentions, and threw his glaive towards her. Striking her in the forehead, the Madama gasped and let go of the Auditio, who was quick to fly into a portal back to Paradiso. She stared in annoyance at the fading golden light, then turned and winked at the Sage before she too melted into the portal.

"Defiled creature." The Sage snarled, then turned to the skies and opened his arms to implore to the heavens. "HONONOL!"

Another portal opened up, and Temperentia descended down from the heavens, its eyes affixed to the Sage look-a-like.

"Is that what you want to do?" Damien drew his wing in, then flicked it out as he pulled a feather from it. "HONONOL!"

Temperentia rose up from behind him, its eyes affixed on the other one opposite it. The Sage was visibly startled, turning back and forth between the two Auditio.

"How is this possible?" He exclaimed, turning back to the winged man, who was now floating in the sky in front of his Auditio. "You cannot control both light and dark! The union between the two was forbidden!"

"The Umbra and the Lumen do not exist anymore." Damien levelled his gaze at him. "Their tenets do not apply."

"You were conceived of that witch?!" The Sage gestured to Bayonetta and the kid below. "She disgusts me."

"Wrong again." Damien smiled. "Leave, or we will destroy this city. They are innocents. At least think about those, Lumen Sage."

The Sage clenched his fist, but let his glaive disappear in a flash of light, and his summon faded away. "We will meet again, half-breed!"

…

The Sage disappeared in a flash of light, leaving only Temperentia and Damien in the sky, staring at the spot the man was. Bayonetta stared at him, her eyes narrowed and her face neutral.

"So who the hell is that?" Loki stepped forward as the remaining Auditio faded away. "Your brother is a Lumen Sage? And an Umbra Witch? How?"

"You remember what they are?" She asked, curious. "But it seems so."

"My head hurts, but yes." He held a hand up to his head, and she spared a small glance at him.

"Very well." She returned her gaze to her brother as he dropped from the sky. "Time for some fucking answers."

Loki paled at her tone as she stormed forward, her forearm forgotten. Damien turned, his face calm and collected.

"Hello, sister." He smiled with small tears on his cheeks, then his eyes widened as he watched the wicked weave fly towards him.

Ten seconds later, he was almost four blocks away in a crumpled heap, the ruins of four buildings surrounding him.

"What the fuck?" Loki struggled to run with her long strides. "He just saved your life!"

They walked into a church, Bayonetta making a beeline for the man on the floor.

"He ruined Jeanne's!" She grabbed him from the rubble and threw him against the wall. "What do you have to say for yourself!?"

"Bayonetta, I'm-" She slapped him, cutting him off.

"No! You are not sorry!" She screamed. "You told her to kill herself, you ruined her dreams and her wish to have a real life!"

"What am I supposed to say, Cereza!?" He sobbed back at her. "That I can take it all back? And fix it? I can't, and she is gone because of it!"

"Then why…" She grabbed him and shook him. "Then why are you back?! Are you here to taunt me!?"

"Because we can fix it." He was crying now. "We can fix it!"

Bayonetta's face flittered with emotions, and she couldn't stop the tears falling down her eyes.

"You've hurt us all." She whispered as she pulled him out of the rubble. "Far more than you know!"

"I know." He whispered sullenly, looking down. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."

She shook her head, crying softly. "You…"

Breaking out into sobs, she buried her head in his chest. "I missed you so much, you big idiot."

"I'm so sorry." He wrapped his arms around her as Loki finally stepped forward.

"Your hair is nice." He answered, holding her tightly. "Why did you change it?"

"She had different hair?" The boy finally made his presence known. "Love, what is going on?"

"Love?" Damien asked in confusion as he released her and turned to the kid. "Who the fuck is this?"

"I am Loki, and you better remember it, mate." Loki stepped forward, putting his hands behind his head. "And this has been a touching reunion, I'm sure, but I-we need to continue up the mountain!"

"Look, little one." Bayonetta put her hands onto her hips and looked him down. "We aren't going to get anywhere more today."

"Fine!" Loki kicked a rock. "It's yet another delay I-we can't afford!"

"Look kid." Damien folded his arms. "We are all human. We need rest."

"Fine!" He harrumphed and walked out. "Don't need to tell me twice!"

They both stared at him in confusion.

"So." Bayonetta said once he was gone. "Why are you a Lumen Sage now?"


	8. Chapter 7: A Remembrance of Time

_Author's note: I do not own any part of the Bayonetta IP. _

_Apologies for the lack of uploads recently. But I have a tonne of chapters back-logged, so be prepared for a mass of uploads around chapter 11._

_Thank you for the reviews and follows!_

Chapter 7: A Remembrance of Time

"Are you sure this is the hotel, little one?" Bayonetta glanced at the boy in front of them, studying the walls of the relatively run down building with apprehension. Loki looked up at the building, a smile of familiarity filling his face.

"He thinks it is." Damien answered and cut him off, much to his indignation. "Although I am inclined to believe him."

"This is the place I've be staying at whenever I'm here." Loki turned to the pair, crossing his arms. "If you two are done being assholes, then I suggest we go inside and 'rest up', or whatever you think we should be doing."

"Don't get snarky with me, little one." Bayonetta tilted her head as she regarded him. "I'm a little used to more… finer hotels. Unlike someone here."

Damien frowned at her statement. "You know that they were the only places willing to take me in for who I was."

"You could have stayed with me!" She shouted back, and he wilted at her intensity. Loki's eyes flickered between the two, then he shrugged.

"Well?" The boy turned and gestured to the door. "Are you coming?"

…

The bored teenager at the counter looked over at her with apathy as she walked through the door, stepping out of Purgatorio.

"Hello." Bayonetta waved. "I am here to book a room for three- wait, make that four."

"Four people?" The girl looked around pointedly. "The Star of Noatun has a policy that we have to have proof that you need a room for… four people."

"Don't you recognise who I am?" The witch frowned.

"Nope." The girl blew out a bubble with her gum, the pop from it breaking being the only sound in the gap of silence.

"You have got to be kidding me." Opening a portal to Purgatorio, she reached in and grabbed a handful of hair. Yanking hard, she felt the person it was attached to pull away, then yelp in pain and finally crashed into her shoulder as he fell out of the realm between ungracefully. "What about this one?"

"Sephiroth?" The girl's eyes widened in shock, and she stepped back. "He's back?"

"Uhh, hey!" The silver haired man waved at her awkwardly. "I'm back, yes."

"How many people again?" The girl was now leaning over, looking at a registry. "Three?"

"Four." Bayonetta answered, finally letting go of his hair. "We mustn't forget about Cheshire."

"Alright. Room thirty five, here." The girl handed them the keys, bowing her head with respect at the winged man. "Nice clothes. They suit you."

"Thanks?" Damien shrugged and followed Bayonetta to the stairs. The witch in black then pointedly turned around and stared at where they just were.

"Coming, little one?" She asked, and Damien shook his head.

…

"That went well!" Loki jumped onto a bed, claiming it. "Never officially had a hotel room before."

"What do you mean by that?" Bayonetta had claimed the double bed and was sitting cross legged on the end with her shoes placed neatly side by side at the foot. Damien glanced questioningly as he stayed standing, not bothering to claim one.

"Well, I'm in Purgatorio, right?" Loki kicked off his shoes, one flying into Damien's face and the other over Bayonetta's shoulder. "Well, I just claim a bed and sleep on it. They can't stop me otherwise."

"Huh." The witch looked impressed. "Smart."

"Anyway, I'm going to 'rest' now, and so should you all. We need to get to the mountain as soon as possible, and that needs to happen really soon." Loki threw himself back, and fell asleep almost instantly. The Lumen lookalike looked at the boy in annoyance, but then his face softened.

"His memory is fractured. Like someone stole it, tore it apart and then put it back." He looked over to his sister, answering her unspoken question.

"Can you fix it?" She asked, keeping her look on the boy.

"Possibly? I'll try tomorrow while we are heading to the church place, right?" He nodded, then looked at her in confusion.

"The Cathedral of Cascades. Yes, we have to go there." She finally turned her gaze to him. "Now, you need to explain yourself."

"From the beginning?" His voice sounded subdued.

"Yes." She gestured to the lone bed at the end of their small room. "From the top; why did Jeanne throw you out?"

"I was doing some research with Luka on Infernic pacts, when I discovered something that I hid from him." He began. "A way to channel a pact that has been made and change it. My initial thought was to free you both, but I figured stripping you of your powers would be the worst possible thing I could have done with this new knowledge. So I visited Rodin, managed to bribe my way into letting him take me to Inferno, and then I bargained with both Madama Styx and Butterfly about your specific contracts."

"You got to Inferno?" Her eyes narrowed. "How? Rodin would not let me go with him to rescue Jeanne, how did you-"

"I purchased one of these." A silver glint took her attention, and her surprise was evident. "And then challenged him in order to 'prove my worthiness'."

"A platinum ticket?" Bayonetta stared at him in shock. "Those things cost thousands, millions of halos!"

"I had to buy seven of them." Damien stared off into the distance. "I got my ass kicked the first four times, then had to knuckle down to beat him the next three."

"What deals did you make with our patrons?" Her eyes returned to him. He looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.

"I offered them both a powerful soul instead of your own." He answered. She recoiled at the words, her eyes wide.

"Damien…" She whispered. "Why?"

"I wanted to help!" He answered. "I wanted to make everything a little better for you two! And then Jeanne found out, and in shock she cast me out, because of the actions I did!"

"Wait- Jeanne threw you out because of this?" Her eyes stared in confusion. "What?!"

"Yes!" He looked down and buried his face in his hands, his wing covering his face. "She did."

"That doesn't make any sense." She said. "That's something so incredibly minor in the grand scheme of things, and something incredibly out of character. What you've done is incredibly idiotic, yes, but I don't think that you are planning on dying anytime soon."

"Then what did you think happened?" His wing retracted, and his face looked up with a puzzled glance.

"I thought that you had cheated on her or something." She looked at him with narrowed eyes. His eyes widened, and his cheeks went red.

"I-we-I. We aren't even dating!" He flustered out, and she smiled wryly.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Her gaze hardened and she gestured to him. "Now, explain this."

"I'm a Lumen Sage now. Sort of." He scratched his head, then looked at her seriously. "You do know what is happening in Paradiso?"

"No." Bayonetta leaned forward. "I do know something is up; what it is, I don't. Has it got to do with all the new angels?"

"Precisely." Damien's wing relaxed as he finally sat onto the bed, and it splayed out on the sheets, contrasting the white on him. "Most of the angels we know are dead."

"What!?" Damien looked at her sharply as she started to control her voice. "How?"

"A person, spirit, entity, whatever awakened some force in Paradiso, and used them to slaughter the Laguna." He explained. "At best about a hundred Laguna still live, most of them Joys."

"What about Hope?" Bayonetta swallowed in fear for their angelic companion. "Are there even Auditio left?"

"I think these things are better explained, not told." Damien leaned back, his arms resting behind his head. "I'll summon who I am bonded to in the morning, after I figure out what is going up with the kid's memory."

Bayonetta nodded, then gasped in pain as her forearm burned with a white hot shot. Damien shot up, his eyes narrowed.

"It hasn't healed?" He asked rhetorically, then walked over to the double bed.

"It might be something that requires a kick start to my natural healing systems." She frowned, and then gasped as her glove came off.

An ugly wound faced them both, bleeding heavily. Damien cursed and let green energy fill his hands as he let the healing spell spill onto the cut. Bayonetta stared in horror as nothing happened.

"What the hell?" He cursed, then disappeared for a couple of seconds, then reappeared, reeling from the distance of the teleport, holding several rolls of bandages. "Put some pressure on it."

"Didn't you…" She glanced at his leg, only to find a fully healed thigh with ripped clothing around it. "Didn't you?"

"I healed." He was mulling over the problem. "You didn't."

"You didn't need to state the obvious." She rolled her eyes, but even she knew that the words were a front.

She was downright terrified of it. Whoever that Sage was, he was pissed enough to do something to his glaive. Whether it was poison or plain old magic, she didn't know the answer.

"Keep pressure on it." Damien helped her tighten the bandage, then used another to tie it together. "We'll figure out something in the morning."

"Right." She felt the fatigue from the day begin to catch up to her. "I am… glad that you are back. Thank you."

"I should've been back earlier." He answered as he walked over to his bed. "You know it."

…

_Bayonetta awoke, her head raising off of the asphalt in pain. Her shoulder was screaming at her, her stomach was painfully throbbing and her forearm was letting her hand dangle uselessly by her side. Her eyes began to search for a clue as to where she was._

_The Ithavoll building? A populated Isla Del Sol? The island had been abandoned for almost a year, ever since it was revealed its ruler was a genocidal maniac. _

_When was she?_

_It was raining. Her glasses lay smashed to the side, and she squinted, trying to see anything._

_A burst of lightning lit up the sky, and a familiar silhouette slammed reality back into her. Scrambling to her feet the fastest her limbs would let her, she stared in horror as a man clad in grey landed, his three wings cushioning his fall._

"_You threw your lot in with him." Damien snarled, his eyes staring at her with murder. "You know what he has done, to whom he has done it to, and yet you still join him?!"_

_She didn't have a clue what was going on. "Damien, it's me!"_

"_I know it's you!" He roared, the Shuraba bursting into flame. "It's always you, you and you. Never anyone else."_

"_Why?" She felt his words sting her, and tears began to form. She had no glasses to hid behind this time; just her and her brother, as it always had been._

"_Tell me; what did he promise you?" He was beginning to stalk forward, his mouth twisting with every word. "Tell me!"_

_A flash of silver and white burst passed her, and the Lumen Sage was now crossing blades again with him. Except he was maskless, and if she discounted the wing and weaponry, they would've looked the same._

"_Bayonetta!" The voice of the Sage carried well to her, now unmarred by the mask. "You need to run!"_

_She stared in shock. They were on the same side now?_

"_You need to run! I can-" With a scream, Damien simply summoned a meteor and threw it at the Sage from his left, knocking him deeper into Isla Del Sol and well out of the path that led to her. He turned to her, then disappeared. Feeling his legs sweep hers out, fell to the ground and painfully landed on her left shoulder, and she screamed in agony. _

"_You are irredeemable." Damien's voice was but a whisper. "You will die!"_

_He lunged with the katana, and she closed her eyes tightly and braced for impact._

_Nothing._

_She opened her eyes to find him nowhere. Hell, there was no sound except for the pitter-patter of the rain._

_Something was making her head ache. Placing her right hand onto her temple, she felt reality shake, then the world inverted._

…

"…Bayonetta?" She awoke to Loki's concerned face staring into hers. "Bayonetta!?"

"Relax." Damien let go of her hand, his eyes returning back to their normal brightness. "She's fine."

Loki moved backwards into a sitting position, his legs crossed. "What was that?"

"A nightmare…" Bayonetta answered, pulling herself into an upright position. "Did you- That's a bad question. Were you in there?"

"I was in there." He glowered. "I was about to kill you."

"You broke out." She realised what had happened. "How?"

"I realised that I was in a dream world." He answered non-committedly. "Then I forced my out to find you thrashing around and Loki here trying to help you calm down."

"You were going to throw yourself out of the building at that rate, love." Loki smiled. Damien glared at him for a second, then returned his attention to her.

"Whatever was causing it was coming from you." He gestured to her head. "I think our mutual friend is trying to affect us."

"Affect us?" She stared at her arms. "Try to tear us apart? Again?"

"It's obviously trying to make us uncomfortable while we are here." Damien folded his arms. "Or to get us to leave. Either way, it's not happening."

"This spirit you were talking about…" Bayonetta frowned. "Who or what is it?"

"A force from beyond time." He shook his head. "Khepri doesn't know anything about it, and neither does Temperentia. All we have is a title; the Prophet."

Loki grabbed his head and grunted in pain. "The… Prophet?"

"Little One?" Bayonetta reached out, and he slapped her hand away.

"The Prophetic One…" He was muttering. "I know who that is…"

"Who?" Damien leaned forward. "Who is it?"

"He's my…" Loki slammed his hand against the wall in frustration. "Why the fuck can't I remember!?"

"Loki." The winged man sat back. "I am telepathic-"

"Like I don't know!" The boy pointed at him. "You've been rooting around in there ever since we met, mate!"

"I can try to fix your memories." He replied, not letting his temper show. Loki paused, hesitated, and then let his hand drop.

"You can?" He asked, his head tilting.

"I can try." Damien answered. "It's not a guarantee that it will work, but I am willing to see if I can help."

Loki nodded, then grabbed his hand. "Ok! Do your magic!" He placed the glove against his forehead, and Damien laughed.

"That's not how it works." He removed the hand from the boy's grasp, then let it hover above his face. His eyes began to glow, and Loki's eyes glazed over.

"This is…" Loki was talking, but his voice suggested he wasn't really there. "Weird."

"What?" Damien frowned as he eyes began to glow. "Why is it recognising me, of all people?"

"Huh?" Bayonetta looked over to him in confusion.

"It's thinking I'm someone it knows. Whatever did this to him, I'm apparently that." He answered as he began to concentrate. "And I can assure you I did not spend the last six months chasing after little boys to tear their memory apart."

Silenced reigned as Damien began to reweave Loki's memories back together. Bayonetta watched him, finally getting a good look at him. His new suit was completely identical to the Lumen Sage from before. His face was more gaunt and thinner, and his eyes did not hold the same naivety as before. He had grown in his exile, she realised. Whether it was ultimately for good or for bad, she did not know.

"Fuck!" Damien lowered his hand as his eyes stopped glowing. "I can't go further. Whoever did this, did it well enough."

"How much did you fix?" Loki asked, one had absentmindedly rubbing his temple.

"About half a percent." He answered, and Loki visibly wilted. "But sometimes, all you need is something to reform, and then it becomes a chain reaction."

"Well." Bayonetta looked to him. "Why don't I try?"

"Bayonetta, you don't know how to read minds, let alone get inside of them." Damien shook his head. "Even if you could get inside, what-"

"I have the Left Eye." She pointed out, and Loki turned sharply to her. "If anything, from what you and Luka found out, I could be a lot better at this."

"That's…" He glanced over to the window. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

He disappeared, then reappeared three seconds later with a screaming Luka.

"Jesus Christ!" The man cursed. "You did not, and I will repeat, did not have to do that!"

"Luka?" Bayonetta laughed. "What on Earth were you doing?"

"I was minding my own business, then I was knocked off of the building by some winged asshole, then I fell about fifteen feet nearly to my death-"

"Don't be so dramatic." The winged man rolled his eyes.

"-only to be snatched out of the air and teleported here!" Luka finished his rant, staring at the two adults with fury. "What do you have to say for yourself!?"

"Bayonetta." Loki interrupted his look, his voice timid. "You said you had the Left Eye?"

"Oh great, the kid is here too." Luka rolled his eyes, and Bayonetta sent an angry glance at him, quietening the man. Turning back to the boy, her eyes looked at him with curiosity.

"I… I want to try something." The boy reached out and placed a palm on her left cheek. They both gasped as an invisible forced grabbed them both, and then Loki recoiled, drawing his hand back in pain.

"I…" He gasped out. "I know… I could have grabbed it…"

"The Eye reacted to him?" Damien asked the witch, and she nodded, her eyes not leaving the boy in front of her.

"Sovereign One… huh?" She whispered. "This Eye has been under your control before, hasn't it?"

"I recognised it, and it recognised-" Loki's face paled. "Oh no… I'm-"

He backed up until he was against the wall, his face rapidly turning white. "I'm supposed to be dead!"

The three adults shared a glance with each other, the same question on their mind.

"Actually, I think I might know this." Luka reached into his satchel and pulled out an ancient book. Both Bayonetta and Damien glanced at him with accusing looks, and he shrugged back. "What? I used my unlimited charm and good looks to liberate a book. And besides, it was doing nothing collecting dust anyway; at least I'll be using it for its intended purpose. Now, where's that passage… Sovereign One…"

He flipped open the book and began to flick through the pages with haste, yet great care. "Aha! Here we are."

Damien teleported behind him and read, his features turning pale and his eyebrows raising.

"At the beginning of time, the realities were one." Luka began. "Then a cataclysmic event shattered them into three, and from them was birthed three rulers; Queen Jubelius of Paradiso, Lord Malefagor of Inferno and Lord Aesir of Chaos, Chaos being better known to us as the mortal realm."

Loki stirred at the name, and his eyes widened.

"Each ruler created their own race, a race befitting of their realm. Yet Aesir pitied humanity, the race he had created, due to their lack of free will. In an event that saw the powers that be to shift outside of the realms, Aesir split himself into two beings, and in doing so created the Eyes of the World. The Prophetic One gifted the Right Eye of Light to a group of Paradiso worshippers called the Lumen Sages, and the Sovereign One gifted his Left Eye of Darkness to a group of Infernal worshippers called the Umbra Witches. Both groups were tasked with keeping the Eyes safe, should they ever be necessary to free the Destroyer or to unleash the Creator, and in doing so Aesir had granted us his final wish; free will, and the power to choose." Luka finished, closing the book. "It seems we now know who you are, kiddo."

"The God…" Damien looked up at Loki. "You're a God?"

"One half…" Loki whispered, shaking. "And I don't know my abilities, and I don't have any spectrum of my power…"

The boy began to breathe heavily. "I don't know, and I don't think I want to know… Who am I, really?"

"You know what I see?" Bayonetta broke in, her voice conveying authority. "I see a scared boy who still hasn't found his place in this world. Now rest up, we do have a long day tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Luka looked up. "I was planning on studying these texts! Not gallivanting across Noatun!"

"You can do that." Damien answered him. "I'm fairly certain that we are going to meet some resistance on the way to the…" He looked towards the God, his hands gesturing for him to finish.

"Bridge to the Heavens." Loki answered, his eyes hardening. "It's coming back to me. It's all coming back to me. Slowly, but I'm starting to remember."

"Don't focus on that, little one." Bayonetta smiled. "Just be a kid for one more night, then you can be as serious as you want."

"Don't call me little one!" He burst out, his eyes glowing blue. "I have a name, and it's Aesi-" The light died down as he relaxed, and then smiled in appreciation. "Thanks, love. I think I shou… You know what? I'll see you all in the morning. A kid for one more night, huh?"

Bayonetta smiled as he fell asleep, collapsing onto the bed. Luka looked down and let out a held breath. "Well, I say good luck to you two on babysitting a god."

"It will be easy." Damien picked up the sleeping boy, and returned him to the other bed. "Now, get some rest."

"As you say." Bayonetta gestured to Luka, then to the space beside her, and the mortal rolled his eyes.

"At least you two are getting along. Again."


	9. Chapter 8: In Courage and Gallantry

_Author's note: I do not own any of the Bayonetta IP, just my OC._

Chapter 8: In Courage and Gallantry

Saying farewell to Luka and leaving him to his task, the trio arrived at the cathedral early in the morning. Damien stared up at the grey building, a look of unease on his face.

"What is this place?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the walls as they walked in.

"This used to be where I- Aesir would meet with his people and convene with them, or some shit. Probably about solving mortals' problems for them." Loki explained, one hand on his head. "With any luck, the bridge to the heavens should be right above us."

"Are you sure?" Bayonetta asked, her long strides carrying her faster than the other two.

"No, not really." Loki smiled. "The bridge isn't outside, as we can all see."

"Not really, huh?" She answered, continuing up a spiral staircase. "But you're right; this is it. Call it a woman's intuition."

Damien laughed quietly as Loki turned around, offended. "Woman's intuition. What kind of silly comic book shit is that? You still don't know a thing about me."

He turned and continued to walk up, whereas she stopped and looked over at her brother. The winged man understood her silent question, and he nodded.

_Tell him the truth._ She heard his voice in her mind for the first time in almost a year. _He deserves to know._

"Let's just say I have plenty of experience with 'nothing comes to mind', little one." She looked over to the boy, who was now halfway up the stairs above them. He paused, turned and ran back down, his face etched with confusion.

"What?"

"I spent five hundred years not knowing who I was, truly." She replied, her eyes grave. "I only found out the truth recently."

"And I have no memory of my former life." Damien added, stepping beside her. "From before I became this… thing."

"Y-you too?" The young God stared at them both in surprise. "A-and you as well?"

They both nodded in confirmation, bowing their heads slightly as well.

"L-listen… Until yesterday, I had nothing. I didn't remember a damn thing, love, or why I had sporadic images running through my head, mate. I didn't even know why I was so damn sure I needed to go to that mountain!"

"You do now?" Damien asked, tilting his head.

Loki shook his head. "I still don't; it's all I know, but I do figure that it once was my place on this world, my home. Something will be there to help me and my memory. Does that make any sense?"

Bayonetta smirked and walked past him, gesturing for them to follow. "Come now, little one. Can't let the girls know you've got a heart."

"I-it's not like that!" Loki scurried after her, his voice trailing off.

"Look, Loki." Damien walked up until he was beside him, matching his pace. "If that's all you know, that's all you for this to work. Bayonetta followed a really obscure lead on a piece of jewellery, and it led to her memory returning over the course of a week."

"What about you?" Loki turned to him, his face confused. "Don't you remember anything?"

"I… " The winged man shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. It never did."

"Alright I guess, mate." They both ran up to the waiting witch above them, her arms folded.

"Took you two long enough." Bayonetta rolled her eyes at them.

"Long enough?" Damien answered, his voice rising. "We were barely five seconds!"

"Time is of the essence, darling." She turned on her heel and continued up the stairs, Loki and Damien continuing after her.

"She's right." The boy nodded as he walked after her. "We must reach the Resonator!"

"The what now?" He shook his head in exasperation, trailing after the pair. He found them staring at a giant metal ball half embedded in a stone floor, the walls of the tower still far above them.

"I remember this…" Loki stepped forward, his hand beginning to glow blue. The sphere began to glow as he approached, seemingly reacting to him. "I don't know how I'm supposed to do this; I don't suppose you can help, love?"

He clapped his hands, and the metal sphere broke apart, reforming into a wall in the shape of two triangles interlocked with a diamond.

"What is this…?" Damien stared up in amazement.

"The Remembrance of Time, mate." He called over his shoulder. "Now, all I need to do is get this spinning…"

"So that's why you need my help." Bayonetta jumped up and grabbed onto the small pillar of energy in the centre of the diamond, wrapping on leg around it. "Any particular direction?"

"I don't think it matt-" He grabbed his head, then clicked his fingers as his eyes lit up. "To the right!"

She began to spin clockwise, letting one leg reach out like a pole dancer in order to build up momentum. The building began to shake as massive tremors rocked it. Damien began to glance around wildly, trying to pinpoint what was causing said tremors and if he could stop them.

"What is happening?!" He turned to the grinning boy, his eyes wide. "Loki!?"

"Calm down, mate. Just let the Remembrance do it's job." He pointed up. "The bridge is rebuilding, and soon enough, the path to it will be too."

Returning his attention to the building, Damien watched with complete amazement as objects he had dismissed as rocks flew up and reattached themselves to the walls, reforming into a continuation of the spiral staircase.

Within minutes, the tremors had stopped, and Loki gestured for Bayonetta to stop. Jumping down gracefully, she stared in amusement at the stunned man, smirking slightly.

"My, you are still easily impressed." She turned to the boy, the smile continuing to grace her lips. "So it should be as easy as continuing up the stairs, right?"

"Right." Loki nodded. "And from there, the Bridge to the Heavens, then the mountain."

A massive tremor rocked them from where they stood, knocking both Damien and Loki over.

"What was that?!" The boy cursed as he stood up, glancing around. "Bayonetta, you did stop when I told you to?"

"I don't think this is our doing, little one." She peered over the edge and back down the staircase.

"I was wondering when our friends were going to show up." The winged man regained his feet with a kip up, his katana snapping into his hand. "Just like old times, right?"

"Right." Love is Blue fell into her hands, and she trained them on something far below her. "Little one, you might want to continue up."

"I can fight!" Loki replied, insulted. "I can help you two!"

"Just go!" Another tremor rumbled through the building, and a piece of the newly reformed staircase fell and crashed onto the ground beside them, shattering into shrapnel that was deflected by a small purple barrier. "You have time magic, right? You can fix this later."

"Fine…" Loki turned and ran up the stairs as both Damien and Bayonetta stood back to back, looking for a sign of the new enemy.

"Those two tremors were different." The winged man whispered.

"There's not one, I can tell you that." She whispered back. "Get ready darling."

…

Loki was sprinting up the staircase, his mind full of childish insults and curses aimed towards the two adults below, when something slammed against the wall to his right.

"Bloody hell!" Loki flinched, nearly tripping over. "Whatever did I do?"

The sounds of battle had finally risen to his ears. Glancing down, he watched as a small burst of orange formed underneath something red, and Damien's voice calling out in Enochian not long after. Shaking his head, he continued up.

Bayonetta burst through the wall ahead of him, her guns blazing at something outside the tower. Skidding to a halt, he watched as she launched a volley of weaves at something holding onto the building, then charged up her guns with purple energy and shot four pulses at the new enemy.

"What are you doing?" She turned to him, her eyes blazing with power. "Keep going!"

Nodding, he watched as she launched herself out with an afterburner kick, slamming into the adversary and clearing the path somewhat. Something slammed onto the path behind him, and he turned around to see a giant red torso with two gigantic flaming mace and flails for hands holding onto the crumbling staircase, its porcelain face staring at him with determination.

"_The Prophetic One demands your presence!_" It gurgled at him, and Loki reacted by turning around to run. Although he was visibly running faster than the angel, he had sensed that it was getting ready to attack the staircase above it.

He heard a clang of metal on metal, and he glanced down to see Damien hanging off the chains connecting the mace to the body, the katana in his hands bashing them repeatedly. Summoning a few cards into his hand, he tossed them down at the staircase and watched with satisfaction as they exploded and broke apart the path. Damien noticed this and jumped up onto the wall, grabbing onto a small ledge as he too watched the large angel fall down the shaft.

"Cards?" He looked up at the pride-filled boy. "Seriously?"

"I don't see you doing any better!" Loki retorted, then stumbled as another tremor from the angel below caused them both to shake.

"Just keep moving." The winged man let go of the wall and plummeted like a missile towards the angel below. Heeding his instructions, the boy turned and ran, still hearing the sounds of battle outside of the tower.

Running outside finally, he looked over the path he needed to still follow; it snaked around the tower for one more spiral, and only then did he reach the top.

It was too bad Bayonetta was fighting a blue version of the angel from earlier, its maces dripping with ice, right where he needed to go.

"You have got to be shitting me…" He cursed, summoning a few cards to his hand as he ran forward. Tossing them at the angel itself, they exploded with blue energy, partially stunning the beast. Taking advantage, Bayonetta jumped and slammed into it with an afterburner kick, knocking it off balance and off of the pathway. It fell, screaming in childish horror until it impacted on the ground below, leaving a crater as the life faded from its body.

"Nice teamwork, love." Loki placed his hands behind his head as they both began to follow the rest of the path up.

"And it seems your little spell did what was intended." She gestured to the oversized bridge in front of them. "That is the Bridge to the Heavens, is it not?"

Loki was interrupted by Damien bursting out of the wall to the side of them, then they both watched as he dodged a burning mace, then disappeared back into the hole he came from.

"Is he going to be ok?" The boy asked, staring at the hole in amusement.

"He'll be fine." She gestured to keep moving, and they did.

Upon reaching the summit of the tower, they watched with somewhat boredom as he burst from the floor in the centre of the platform, another burning mace following him soon after. He twisted to the right, then held out a hand and spoke in Enochian:

"QUASABA!"

A single bolt of lightning struck into the whole he came from, and even Loki could smell the scent of burning flesh reach him as the angel groaned, then died.

"Took you long enough." Bayonetta placed her hands on her hips and regarded the winged man as he landed back onto the ground, his extra two wings folding back underneath his cloak.

"You didn't have yours knocked down a hundred metre shaft." He replied, turning to them. "Or have it pretend to die so you can get tricked."

"It doesn't matter." Loki broke their argument before it could get started. "We are almost at the mountain, an- ARGH!"

He collapsed to his knees as images rushed inside his head:

"…_we need to fix this." A person who looked far too similar to him nodded. "After you."_

_Loki began to weave the simple spell, then gasped as something entered his chest. Looking down to see a ethereal fist sticking out of it, he merely closed his eyes as life began to fade from him._

"_Why?" He croaked out. His other half behind him smiled, then leaned forward._

"_Because I will save them." He whispered, his voice tainted with something Loki couldn't identify. "You always let them destroy themselves; I will not."_

His head slammed back into reality as he dangled over the edge of the bridge, his feet held by Bayonetta.

"If you have suicidal tendencies, little one, you might want to seek help for it." She smirked.

"Wha- How? Put me down!" The young God demanded, and she obliged, tossing him back onto the bridge.

"You… quite simply, jumped off." Damien answered, his gaze focused on the bridge ahead of them. "Like you were possessed."

"Well, I wasn't!" Loki snapped, then grew sullen. "I just remember how I died!"

"You jumped off a bridge?" Her eyebrow raised.

"No!" He shook his head furiously. "I was killed by my… other half."

Bayonetta glanced at Damien at this information, but his attention was on the bridge in front of them.

"Brother." She tried to get his attention. "Darling? Damien!?"

Then their plan went to hell.

Something burst up from underneath the bridge, cutting through the stone like a buzz saw and heading in their direction. Damien summoned out the Shuraba and held it defensively as he blocked the buzz saw, barely holding it back. Loki transformed into a squirrel and jumped onto Bayonetta's shoulder pauldron, who quickly ushered him into a safer spot. Training her guns on the golden metal, she frowned and tried to find where the angel was.

The ground beneath them exploded as a massive sword cleaved through it, throwing rubble and the pair into the air, and back down the tower they had just climbed. After them flew a somewhat familiar looking angel.

"_We meet again, Umbra Witch!_" The Valiance growled, its head now planted on a shield. The body was still as armoured as ever, more so now, and it carried a cape on its shoulders. The sword was decreasing in size as it fell towards them, its posture holding itself defensively.

Bayonetta let Malphas's wings sprout out as she flipped up to face the new threat, and Damien's smaller wings extended out as well. He glanced over to her in surprise but focused on the new angel.

"It looks like someone's got a few upgrades recently. Didn't I kill you?" She asked, starting with a hail of bullets towards its eyes. The angel responded by tossing the shield at them, causing them both to flip out of its path.

"_You forgot to destroy me. Now I am reborn, and I will have my revenge!_" It caught its shield and the face grinned. "_For I, Valor, will not let such transgressions fade away lightly!_"

Damien shot forward, Shuraba flickering out in front of him. Aiming for the centre of mass, he scored a few cuts on the angel before it's shield bashed into him and threw him back. Regaining his balance, he stared at the Valor, trying to figure out an opening.

It didn't let him. It threw itself to the side, bursting through one of the walls. Immediately becoming wary of the left, Bayonetta sensed that it was about to strike. Crossing Love is Blue together in an x, she blocked its thrust and then grunted in pain as she was thrown through the wall behind her. Activating witchwalk, she lay down on the blade as it redrew back into the tower, only to be swung at Damien who had began to swing at the body yet again.

"Damien!" She reached out as she began to fly towards him. He looked up and nodded, and grabbed onto her as the blade swiped pass where he was. Letting go and launching him like a rocket, he slammed into the shield and knocked it loose, letting it fly further down and through the floor of the cathedral to reveal the lake underneath. Landing in the water with a splash, they both let their wings fade as they continued to sink.

The Valor had regained its shield, and was now riding it as a surfboard, the edges spinning wildly. Letting it propel him, it sent three swipes with the sword at the pair, two of them dodged and the other blocked by Damien, the Shuraba held vertically, his other arm supporting it as a cross guard.

"SIZICIEL!" He gestured with his free hand and tried to summon fireballs as he kept the blade of the angel stuck against his own, only to watch with disappointment as they fizzled out into steam. "Fuck it!"

"Oh, please." Bayonetta had noticed that the Valor was still trying to push Damien around with the sword and had decided to end it. "CANILU!"

A portal opened up beneath them, and six heads slithered out and wrapped themselves around the angel, trapping it from further movement. Retreating backwards, the winged man stared at the angel with curiosity whilst Loki popped out of her chest area and regarded it with anger.

"It looks likes you aren't going to get a new one of those." She smirked at the angel as Hydra began to stretch its limbs out, until even Loki could hear the pops and groans of the machinery contorting within.

"_My demise will not alter fate._" Valor laughed, and the trio's demeanour immediately changed into suspicion. "_A tribute to you, witch!_"

It raised its sword as a final act of defiance, then slammed it into the ground, cutting open a hole and sucked the trio towards it. The three struggled, with Bayonetta almost making it free of the suction by using her snake-within, but they were all dragged in, one by one.

Then Valor was dragged unceremoniously into Inferno and disappeared forever.


	10. Chapter 9: The Ark

_Author's Note: I own nothing from Bayonetta._

Chapter 9: The Ark

The Prophet shook his head at the scene unfolding in front of him; the Valor he had sent being dragged into Inferno, and the troublesome duo sent deeper into the catacombs of Noatun. He had not banked on the experiment also being there, but it was not an unexpected move from the puppet. Did he expect what had transpired to happen? Yes. Did that mean he had to like it?

Absolutely not.

He stood up, one hand on his face in a mixture of embarrassment, boredom and expectancy. Waving away the image, he stopped shaking his head and turned to the right. Pacing in a small line in front of his throne, he began to ponder, ponder about what to do next.

"Typically," He began aloud, his voice easily carrying around the large room. "I go and help Balder right about now. But I, for one, have never tried not helping him."

He paused and rolled his eyes. "Right. Now I remember; that doesn't work."

Continuing in his pacing, he returned to his original train of thought. "I do think the correct cause of action is to help him, but if he is just going to betray me later…"

He let out a bark of laughter at his unspoken suggestion. "Do it out of the goodness of my heart? I know what I am, and I am not a good person. "

"Well, it will not be another failure." He then recalled that Valor would probably be long dead by now. "Well, actually it is. But these pawns can no longer serve my purposes."

He waved his hand, and a small blue portal opened up in the centre of the room. Walking towards it, the Prophet felt lightheaded as his spirit abandoned his physical form, and it fell backwards in a heap.

"Power must be held in my own hands to truly be attained!" He smirked as the small portal began to react and warp reality around him. Letting it settle a few seconds later, he found himself staring up at the Cathedral of Cascades for the first time in his life.

"And that's only because I normally look down upon it." He reminded himself, letting his ire fill. Taking a small note of the ruin that was the top of the building, and the freshly destroyed bridge strewn up the mountainside, he figured that they would already be well on their way.

"To the Gates then." He let reality fold around him, taking him to his destination.

He did, however, miss the curious mortal staring at him through a pair of enchanted lenses, utterly confused and worried at the implication.

"Who the hell was that?"

…

The Lumen Sage pushed passed the crowd in front of him and stormed into the cathedral, his entire body shaking with rage.

He had been this close to ascertaining his revenge on the boy, and then even closer to finishing off the blight that was the Umbra Witches from this world forever. They would both be dead, their souls being judged into eternal damnation for their sins, if it wasn't for that meddling Sage.

Who was that? The Sage could wield both powers that were only accessible to one of the clans, and powers that seemingly no one could ever master. Could he beat him? Easily. From what he had seen, the Sage was relatively inexperienced, and he knew how to turn raw power into arrogance, and arrogance into a downfall.

Whether the surroundings survived or not was another story.

He stepped into the cathedral proper, and immediately his Eye and senses tingled. Not caring for the mortals that saw, he stepped into Purgatorio to watch as an armoured angel plummeted through the floor in front of him, two small figures following it. Frowning slightly, he jumped after them, his glaive appearing in a flash and ready to slow his descent if need be. Landing in the water with a small splash, he continued to observe the one-sided battle with curiosity.

Watching with apathy as the angel was trapped by a demon, he noticed the floor underneath them was hollow. It seemed the angel had noticed this too, and it swung its massive sword at the ground, splitting it in two and causing all other objects in the room to immediately be sucked towards it. Letting his glaive guide him, his eyes now burning on the witch, he followed after them, ignoring the screams and laughter of the angel behind him.

Jumping out of the steam and slamming his glaive horizontally through the wall, he twisted up onto the makeshift platform and watched as the witch landed gracefully onto her feet like a cat, the impostor Sage in a crater on his back and the boy into the water itself.

"Fuck!" The boy cried out as he resurfaced. "Why am I the only one stuck in the drink?"

"Shut up." The Sage glowed green as his healing spell took effect. "At least you landed on something soft."

"Come on; you could have landed on your feet instead of taking that fall like a champ." The witch pulled him to his feet, and the Sage glared daggers at her.

How did she not know? Did she not care?

"Just where are we, anyway?" The imposter asked as he pulled the kid out of the water.

"Well, I can say for certain that we are further away than when we started." Loki answered nonchalantly. "But this place… it is familiar to me…"

The Sage tilted his head slightly. The child had no memory? No matter; justice and vengeance will be served. At least it was returning to him. He surmised that he could let his memory return, then kill him. Let him understand the full weight of his actions.

"There should be…" The child then dove back into the water, disappearing into the murky waters. The Sage frowned, and peered closely at the depths. He could see an outline of something in the water, but to his knowledge it was just a giant rock.

He did know better. Very rarely was a giant rock just a giant rock in a Sage's life.

The water glowed blue, then the rock surfaced itself with a roar, strange sigils glowing along its hull. Sigils he recognised from the Prophet.

What had the spirit not told him?

"What is this? Some sort of boat?" The impostor asked, staring at the hull in fascination.

"An ark, to be exact." Loki answered. "I- Aesir used to use these to traverse the depths of the oceans if he needed to. If you two are willing, I think I may know a way on this ark to a shortcut to the gates."

"On this thing?" The witch raised an eyebrow. "I do hope you know where you are going, little one."

"I do!" The Sage dropped down and into the water with a silent splash, swimming up to the ark. "If we continued to Fimbulventr, we would have had to go down the mountain and underneath it anyway. This circumnavigates that."

"I think he is right." The Impostor nodded his head as the Sage split his glaive and slammed both ends into the hull, forming two handholds for him. "And besides, worst case scenario is that we don't get to the Gates, but get to the mountain itself. I say we try it."

"Just try to hold on, mate." He watched with anticipation as the Sage and Witch climbed onto the ark, the Sage summoning his katana and sticking it point first into the hull. The witch merely activated her witch walk and stuck herself on, her hands on her hips as the boy placed his hands onto the hull, it glowing brighter at the response of his touch.

"Next stop, the Gates of Hell!" Loki called out gleefully, and the Sage smiled.

Revenge would be his.

…

Damien stared at Bayonetta. She stared back at him.

Loki merely rolled his eyes and turned back to face the pair.

"You know, I've never seen you two this quiet before." He began, humour bolstering his words. "Or quiet at all."

"Sometimes little one, you need to remember what you have." The witch answered, breaking eye contact with the man and looking over to the crouching pilot. "And take in what everything is."

"Or…" Damien added in a huff, rolling his eyes. "You both think you sensed something, and you are looking over to the person that might have also sensed it for confirmation."

"Wait… what?" Loki immediately turned around, scanning the view in front of them. "You've sensed some- oh, I sense it too."

"I'm pretty sure it's a demon." The winged man turned to Bayonetta, and she nodded.

"An Insidious. One of the, if not the biggest, demon." She turned around, looking behind them. "But what I want to know now is why Infernals, of all things are after me?"

"You are their overseer." Damien pointed out. "They might think that killing you will allow them unrestricted access to Purgatorio, and by extension the mortal realm."

"That's not how it works." A fist appeared next to her and she fist-bumped it. "At least someone is keeping their part of the contract."

"It's not like I have a choice." He answered, glancing around.

Bayonetta frowned as something appeared behind them in her periphery. "And I think it just found us. Prepare yourself little one; we may be in for a bumpy ride."

"You concentrate on the Infernal, love." Loki leaned forward, and the ark's speed increased as well. "We are nearly there."

They both saw it at the same time, and they both hardened at the prospect of the upcoming battle.

A giant manta ray shaped Infernal was gliding towards them, its two fin eyes staring at the ark. The skull shaped stomach grinned at them, and Damien glared back at it. Bayonetta reached over her shoulders and grabbed her guns, smirking slightly at the demon.

"What a party crasher. Shall we kick him out?" She glanced over at him, and he drew out Shuraba.

"The eyes look like its weak point." He studied the eyelids, noting their thickness.

"Most correct." She jumped up. "Insidious's eyes contain its brain, since most of it is empty space for its meals."

Damien joined her as the Infernal roared. Loki glanced back, noted that he was actually being chased, then hit the accelerator so to speak.

The Insidious swam above them, and then its skull opened, and torpedos flew out at the ark. Loki cursed and swerved to the side, brushing up against the wall of the trench they were in. The winged man sent a blade beam at the left eye, but it was ineffectual against the thick skin. It rotated around and slammed the ark further into the wall.

"PDEE BARMA!" Bayonetta implored, and Madama Butterfly answered by grabbing onto the fin, tearing the top half off and then started to claw at the eyelid.

"PDEE BARMA!" Damien gestured, and Madama Khepri joined her fellow Infernal. They both grabbed onto an eyelid and tore it open, leaving the eyeball exposed to the elements. The winged man tossed his katana as a spear into its iris, and Bayonetta sent a wicked punch after it. The Shuraba drove itself deeper into the eye, and the fist exploded it. The pair of demons released the Insidious, then drew their fists back and punched the stomach to send it back. The second eye opened, and Loki turned around and saw his opportunity.

"Now!" Four cards appeared above his head, and they glowed bright blue. Energy crackled from them and flowed into his palm, and then he splayed it out and shot a bright blue laser at the final eye, burning through it and killing it instantly.

The two Madama's looked at the boy, impressed. Nodding their heads, they melted back into portals and disappeared from

"Well, that was easy." The young god turned around, a wry grin on his face. Bayonetta smiled back at him, and Damien resummoned the Shuraba back to his hand, his face in a small smirk. "Shall we continue then?"

A shadow passed over them and the ark exploded as a pair of lasers sliced through it. Another Insidious grinned at them, and then its stomach mouth opened.

Then all went dark as pieces of debris smashed into the backs of their head.

…

Bayonetta opened her eyes to see Damien crawling groggily over to her, his eyes trying to focus. Something sticky and pink was underneath her, and it felt fleshy under her body.

"Hey…" She called out, reaching for him. He grabbed her hand and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and centre his mind. "You ok?"

"I'm fine…" He whispered, his hand tightening. "I should have seen it coming…"

"It's ok." She began to pull herself up, keeping him still. "Insidious travel in pairs. I should have remembered that."

"Where's…" He opened his eyes and looked around. "Loki?"

"Oh fuck!" She whirled around, her eyes frantically trying to find the missing boy. "Little one? Loki!?"

"Don't panic…" She felt a hand on her shoulder. "He's still here, I can sense him."

"There's too many paths!" She cried out in frustration. "We aren't ever going to fi-"

"Bayonetta, calm." She heard him whisper under his breath, and then felt a spell enter her. Instantly her mind cleared, and then she focussed. "Think."

"Are you one hundred percent?" She asked, her mind whirring.

"About eighty." He was now standing next to her. "You want to take the right passage?"

"I was thinking the left." She answered, her lips curling into a small smile. "I'll reach you in the stomach?"

"Stomach?" He looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Wouldn't the left lead to the lungs?"

"You aren't thinking laterally." She walked forward, Love is Blue dropping into her hands. "Don't get complacent now!"

He smiled and ran into the right. Entering the oesophagus tube, she warily explored the interior of the demon, trying to find their little friend.

Several portals to Inferno opened up, and several demons stalked out of each of them. Rolling her eyes at the Hideous that growled at her, she watched them slink around and surround her.

"You are some naughty boys, you know that?" She took her stance as they hissed at her. "Why are you now, of all times, deciding to betray your contracts and take your little problem up with me?"

They screamed at her, and she winked back.

They launched themselves forward and she answered with a cry, Madama Butterfly launching out of the wall to aid her contracted.

Within seconds, they were all dead. Glancing at the wall, shivering in repulsion at the fleshy substance, she continued down the passageway.

…

Damien walked into the stomach, his eyes darting around, looking for a sight of either the Lumen Sage or Loki. Shuraba flickered into his fingers as he walked forward, trying to find any clues to the whereabouts of the missing pair.

His attention went up, and he saw Loki trapped in a bulbous sac, filled with a red liquid. He had been swallowed or something, and the impact from the Insidious was apparently enough to have knocked him out.

"Loki!" He called out, hoping for something in response. The young god continued to sleep, and the winged man cursed. A flying white and gold object from behind him surprised him momentarily, but several gunshots from the witch arriving from his right broke him out of his stunned state.

The Sage merely waved his hand, and time stood still. Collecting the bullets, he moved faster than light and seeming teleported behind her, releasing and changing their path to into her back. Cursing, the witch threw herself out of their path, and the Sage jumped back at the boy, his glaive held out.

To Damien's relief, Bayonetta also recovered and jumped up after the flying Sage.

…

The Sage glanced at her in surprise, but readjusted his attention back to the sac in front of them

"If I didn't know any better." She began casually, a small smile gracing her lips. "I would say you are the most persistent stalker I have ever met."

The Sage returned his attention to her slowly, almost in shock and indignation at her words.. Winking at him, she twirled around in a kick and launched him back towards the floor of the stomach. Sending down a hail of bullets, she watched with an impressed look as he both separated his glaive and twirled the pieces around, deflecting and blocking each projectile as it came. Throwing both ends in two wicked arcs at her, Bayonetta contorted like a dancer to dodge the attacks, her limbs showing their dexterity as she allowed the halves to pass over and underneath her and boomerang back to their owner. He caught them as he landed, reattaching the two back into the glaive and putting his attention on the winged man behind him.

"And here I thought you were our type." She landed and tilted her head as both Damien and she began to circle the trapped Sage. "Looks like I was all wrong about you."

"Step away, Lumen Sage." The Sage pointedly ignored her and pointed his glaive at her brother. "This is not your fight."

"You threaten my family, you threaten me." Damien's lips were tight as he finished, his eyes focused on the Sage in front of him. "So you have made it mine."

"You have no sins." The Sage dropped his glaive and gestured to both Bayonetta and Loki. "I do not wish to slay what is not more than necessary!"

"Is there something you aren't telling me, sister?" Damien asked aloud, his eyes not leaving the man in white.

"Unless someone has taken the memory, there's nothing I have personally done to this Sage, or any Sage yet." She answered, shooting a heart into the stomach above them, spilling out its contents around them. The Insidious groaned in pain, and all three glanced at the walls of the stomach, hesitant to start.

"Are you including your father in that?" He reminded her, and the Sage whirled around and focused on her.

"Your father was a Lumen Sage?" He snarled, the voice distorted by the mask. "Impossible! The tenets were never broken!"

"Well, they were." Bayonetta smirked. "And I'm the result of it."

She could make out Damien's eyes beginning to glow. She understood what he was doing and decided to try and occupy the Sage's attention.

"You lie!" The Sage was trembling in fury. "No other Sage broke the Tenets, for fear of unleashing the chaos of light and dark on the world, and bring forth the prophecy!"

She paused. Damien paused.

Three full seconds passed.

Something in that sentence didn't mesh well with her. She tilted her head with confusion. "What did you just say?"

They were both interrupted by a roar of pure fury, and the Sage disappeared into a puff of blood, feathers and light. Throwing up a small witchtime spell, she barely managed to release it in time when the Sage activated his light speed.

Damien froze, his hands out-stretched and his face contorted with rage. Bayonetta stared at him in confusion, then turned her attention back to the Lumen Sage who was dragging themselves back up to their feet.

"What is your problem!?" The Sage roared at the immobilised man. "My thoughts are mine and mine alone; you are not allowed to see them!"

"He got through…" She whispered, and the Sage turned to her.

"Your friend has a lot to explain." His glaive snapped into his hand, and he pointed it at her. "After you pay for your sins, and the boy has answered for his!"

"Me?" She pulled herself into her stance, her eyes narrowed. "What did I do to you?"

"You have forgotten?" He hissed. "Then I will make you remember it!"

He clicked his fingers, and a stream of light burst in front of him. Cartwheeling to the left to avoid the trap, she flicked her guns into a ready position and began to fire one at the Sage's head. He summoned a small barrier, walking with it held out, deflecting each bullet as they came. Letting her hair fly from her body, she raised and slammed her foot, Madama Butterfly answering with a wicked stomp right onto the Lumen. The Sage bounced from the impact, and Bayonetta jumped up with an afterburner kick, immediately transitioning into a witch strike to throw the Sage up higher.

Grunting, the Sage tossed his glaive at her like a spear. Grabbing onto its hilt, she followed its path back to the Sage's hand back on the strange platform in the stomach, and then felt a punch to her jaw knock her off of the weapon. Not letting her recover, the Sage burst forward in a sliding kick, knocking her back and completely off balance. Letting his momentum carry him back into a standing position, he held his glaive out wide and swept it around his body, aiming for her stomach. Transforming into a dozen bats, she let the attack pass through her with no effect, and retransformed into a human with a cocky grin. She slammed both fists into his stomach, then sent one into an upper cut into his chin, then swept slow with her leg twice, the first knocking the Sage over, and the second keeping him in a tumbling state. Standing back up, she felt her hair leave her as she thrust at him with one leg, sending a weave at him. It crashed into the Sage and pushed him towards the end of the platform, knocking them both out of lightspeed and back into normal time. Damien burst forward, flying through nothing and straight through the stomach of the Insidious.

"Idiot." She cursed him lightly, only to see the Sage toss a feather into the air.

"OBELISON!"He roared, and Sapientia burst out of a portal and into the strange liquid surrounding them, his voice echoing throughout the chamber. Swimming around, the angel trained its head on her, its eyes glowing red in anger.

"CANILU!" Bayonetta answered, her hair flying off to summon Hydra behind her, its six heads trained on the Auditio in front of them both.

The Sage ran forward, his glaive spinning in his fingers. Twisting around, he launched himself in a torpedo attack. Stepping to the side, she kicked him in the stomach as he flew passed her, knocking him off course and over to the far left, knocking a resurfacing Loki back into the red waters behind them.

"Shit!" She cursed as Hydra finally reached the Auditio and began to bite and snap at it it. Sapientia roared and sent swipes in response to it, and the Lumen Sage slammed his palm into the ground, knocking her down and the Infernal back. The air surrounding him began to shine with a golden light as he began to levitate and the Auditio's head split apart to reveal four tentacles, each beginning to glow with energy.

Damien burst through the walls of the stomach, slamming into the Sage and knocking him out of the sky and interrupting his attack. Hydra crashed into the Auditio, and Bayonetta saw Loki pulling himself out of the liquid again.

"Little one!" She ran over and pulled him up, not caring about the stench. "Are you-?"

"Bayonetta!" He pointed over to the battling Sages. "Look out!"

Several blade energy beams burst off of the sword and impacted around the platform, sending more ripples through the Insidious.

"Why!?" The winged man was roaring. "Why you, of all people?!"

"What do you mean me of all people?" The Sage answered, kicking down the man to the ground. "I have been bought here to deliver justice to those who deserve it!"

"What justice!?" Damien screamed. "I know who you are, I know what you are!"

"Darling, who-" She tried, but was silenced by his glare.

"You know who he is!" The winged man shot her down with a growl. "You know exactly who he is!"

"Enough of this!" The Sage landed on his feet and splayed his hand out. Sapientia drew itself up behind him, and roared as missiles launched from its back, aimed at the trio. Damien summoned a barrier and stepped forward, only to be stopped by a gloved hand.

"You think I bought her along for the ride?" She smirked, and then six ear-splitting screams filled the air as Hydra bought its heads in front of them, sending the missiles off course and into the walls. The Insidious shuddered, and all four of them looked at the walls in apprehension.

The two celestial beings did not care and continued to fight each other. The four tentacles reappeared, and lasers shot out of them, aimed at Hydra. Letting the horns on its head split and deflect the beams, the Hydra bore down on the Auditio and wrapped its head around the neck.

The beams fired into the walls, burning and destroying the flesh, sending pain-filled screams throughout the Infernal. It shuddered, and they all fell, and a curious cylindrical object fell from the Sage's upper body, attached to his neck as a necklace. Her eyes narrowed, and then widened at it.

Her mother's lipstick?

The Sage noticed her gaze and grabbed the tube and shoved it back into the confines of his cloak. He grabbed his glaive and launched himself at them, only for the Insidious to explode apart, throwing all four of them in opposite directions and away from each other, each tumbling down to a strange collection of debris below.

Only Bayonetta realised that they weren't underwater anymore.


	11. Chapter 10: The Gates of Hell

_Author's Note: I do not own anything from Bayonetta._

Chapter 10: The Gates to Hell

Bayonetta landed on a rocky platform, her eyes already looking around and scouting the immediate area. Her eyes widened, then narrowed at the sight she was greeted with. She was barely aware of Loki landing with a scream behind her, or Damien flying through several other rocks before landing on a platform a fair distance away from her, or the enigmatic Lumen Sage crashing into a stone building and disappearing from view. A random assortment of rocks and buildings orbited an upside-down triangular prison, containing…

The Gates of Hell. She could even see the resemblance to Rodin's bar.

Her heartbeat quickened, and her breathe hitched. They were so close.

"This is…" She stood up, her eyes wide in wonder. "The Gates of Hell…"

"Fuck, love, you don't have to not catch me!" She heard Loki cracked his back as he stood next to her, his tone irate. "Welcome to the place that welcomes you to hell, love. It's too late to repent, so you better not be hoping that you'll be welcome elsewhere."

"And you are assuming that I want to be somewhere else?" She smirked, turning to him. Stretching his arms, the young god smirked back at her.

"I don't know, love. You are the only person who says, 'take me to hell' and actually means it." Loki walked forward, looking at the glass prison. "I don't know why you want to go there, but I can assume it's got to do with your friend that has missed her curfew?"

"Yes, little one." She glanced at the watch in her hand. "She's got herself in a rut and I want to get her out of it."

"I can help you." Loki turned, his eyes serious. "The way in was sealed by the Prophetic One a millennium ago. With any luck, I should be able to undo the seal."

"You don't sound awfully confident, little one." She frowned. "Whatever is the matter?"

"It's just I don't know how." He kicked a stray rock, and it floated off to join the rest in orbit. "Whatever my other half got up to, it wasn't for the benefit of us, I would imagine."

…

Damien opened his eyes, his back and head aching. Groaning, he stood up, his joints stiff. His eyes latched onto a falling white speck falling above him, and his pain was replaced with rage.

After all this time, after all these years, he was never going to be free. He was always going to haunt him. Always here to taunt him of his past.

His attention was taken by the strange glass structure in the centre of the astral-like realm he was in. The winged man ran to the edge of the platform he was onto, and stared at it with newfound purpose and hope.

The Gates of Hell.

It was sealed away, by a magic he could not place.

_Do not fret; this is the work of the Prophet._ Temperentia confirmed his suspicions. _It seems it has prepared for this eventuality._

_Knowing our luck, only him or the Sovereign One can undo the seal. I would not advise trying to undo it yourself. _Khepri added. _This magic is something I do not recognise as well._

Telekinetically, he grabbed a nearby rock out of the strange orbit it was in and hurled it at the glass prison. It slammed into it, then bounced off ineffectually and re-joined the orbit as if to taunt the winged man.

"Well shit." He cursed after a couple of seconds. "Where are Bayonetta and Loki? Are they even ok!?"

_Not here, that's for absolute certain. _The Infernal answered.

_They will be around here. _The Auditio added. _You all fell in the same spot; it's only a matter of exploration._

"Right." He jumped from the edge, landing onto another rock, beginning to explore the strange place, the other Lumen Sage on his mind.

…

"You know, love?" Loki spoke up after a small gap of silence. Unbeknownst to them, they had also decided to take Damien's route of exploring the area around the Gates, but their reasoning was to search for more clues as to how to undo the seal. "I've come to a realisation."

"And what realisation would that be, little one?' Bayonetta replied, her attention not focused on the boy in front of her.

"I think it would be best for everyone if I had never split." He answered. "Well, Aesir had never split."

"According to the legend, you split to give humanity a choice." She reasoned, and he nodded.

"Right. But why do I feel such a sense of foreboding and terror from the immediate aftermath?" He asked aloud, and her attention turned to him fully. "I don't remember why I should feel this way; only that I do, and whatever happened scares the shit out of me."

"Does this have something to do with the fact that you think you are supposed to be dead?" She asked hesitantly, and he nodded again.

"Spot on; whatever killed me, it is directly connected to Aesir splitting and the immediate aftermath." They had arrived at a dead end; a building capped off with a platform directly overlooking the imprisoned Gates was their surroundings. What had caught her attention, and seemed to be what he was looking for, was the strange floating stone diamond framing the view.

"Is this our goal, little one?" She looked over it, eyes trying to find anything. "It doesn't seem to be working."

She was answered with a small groan of agony. Turning to him in fear, she saw Loki holding his head in apparent pain. "Little one!?"

As soon as he had started, he broke out, the pain fading. Grinning at her, he turned to face the walkway and building they had arrived from. "Right! This way, Bayonetta."

"What now?" She asked, somewhat amused.

"You got to power it with something. Come, I've remembered where I've stored the stuff that makes these work." He replied, then frowned. "Well, where Aesir did at any rate."

A barrier slammed into her face, and she was momentarily stunned by the impact. Loki turned, his eyes wide.

"Bayonetta! Oh shit, sorry! I forgot about the guardians of this place!" He sprinted off. "I'll see what I can do about them!"

Turning, she saw a ball of pure light rising out of the ground, pieces of metal flying into it from the surroundings, forming an armoured shell around it. Her eyes narrowed as she recognised the threat.

A golem. One of the few mortal creations that could harm witches, and had been deployed during the witch hunts themselves to find the stray witches that had survived the massacres at the various sanctuaries. It would just be her luck that they guarded this place.

Her brain whirred at the revelation. What did that say about Aesir?

Either way, the time to ponder about what ifs and the history of the world was not now; now she needed to fight.

The golem began to float menacingly towards her, and she smirked at it. Firing a couple of warning shots at its centre, she hit it twice and it screeched in fury. Bayonetta winced at the sound, clamping her hands on her ears. Watching it with apprehension now, it transformed, the metal flowing to form a giant arm and a sword to go with it. Baring her teeth, she felt the rush of the upcoming battle creep up on her.

They couldn't have made it simple by any means, right?

…

Damien was puzzled at the existence of the place he was in.

He was also puzzled by the floating squirrel coming towards him, but the was the least strange thing currently in his view.

"Oh, there you are!" The flying squirrel transformed into Loki, much to his surprise. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Where is Bayonetta?" He asked, checking over the boy's state with a quick look. As far as he could tell, he was just bruised and battered from the fall. "Where is my sister?"

"She's fighting a golem right now; but we need to lower that." The young god gestured to the barrier around the Gates. "Because if we don't, mate, all of this will be for naught."

"Alrighty then. How do we do that?" He began to walk beside the boy, not bothering to worry about her. She would be fine.

"I think we need to get a lot of velocity and break through it." Loki stopped in front of a wall and shook his head. "Not here. I think the strange rings should be able to do the trick; I just need to find a way to turn them on."

"So what are we looking for?" He asked, his senses ready. Loki laughed, and then stopped in front of a waterfall.

"Here it is! You'll see, it's quite obvious." Clapping his hands and spreading them, blue magic dripping from his fingers, a portal to Paradiso opened at the same time. "Back when we made this portal, we decidde to hide the way to power it on inside the other half; with any luck at all, we should find a Cerebellum Cube in here."

"A cerebellum cube?" Damien frowned as they stepped into the realm of Angels, the welcoming front immediately discarded by him. "What are…"

He stopped mid-sentence as Loki froze at the sight that greeted them.

Paradiso was dead.

The once glowing sky was darkened into a deep blue. The land itself felt rotten, and the air was stagnant. Bodies of dozens of angels littered the floor, and their fleshy interiors was spilled all over the once gleaming marble surface.

"No…" Damien whispered, his voice a small sliver. He recognised these bodies; he had just talked to them not two days ago. "Hope? Hope!?"

"_Damien?_" A weak voice replied. Sprinting towards it, he was barely aware of Loki looking at him in sorrow, and then the boy turning his attention to the blue cube floating in the centre of the room.

"Hope!" He found it and pulled them out from the corpses surrounding them. The Joy was battered, wounded, but most importantly, alive. "I…"

"_Save your breathe; there was nothing you could do here._" It shook its head. "_They're all gone. The last of the angels._"

"Wait, hold up; the last of the angels?" Loki stepped to them, his eyes narrowed. "Then what the fuck has been attacking us then?"

"_False Laguna, Sovereign One._" Hope answered, her head turning to the god. "_They were made by Balder in order to facilitate a perfect army for Jubelius to call for._"

"A perfect army?" The young god turned back to the floating cube, a hand moving up to his chin. "But… Jubelius always thought of her army as perfect?"

"_Damien… He sent everyone…_" The Joy looked up to him. "_They were merciless… Temperentia is out there somewhere, on the run… It is the last of us…_"

"Bullshit. You don't get to die, Hope!" His hands glowed as he began to heal her. "You are not dying as well!"

"_Where will I go?_" She whispered. "_I have nothing left here. I have nothing left ever._"

"I have friends that will need you." His eyes looked at her with hope. "A friend that will need someone to watch his back."

"_Luka…_" Hope smiled. Damien stood up, and gingerly helped up the angel. Loki stared at the pair with a sly grin, the cube floating above his head in half a dozen broken pieces. The Joy blushed, then felt the ripple of a portal behind her. Turning around to see the glimpse of a mortal hotel, she glanced back shyly at the winged man and then stepped through, disappearing from the pair.

"She likes you mate." The young god laughed. "Got yourself the eye of an angel?"

"I don't want to disappoint her." He whispered as the portal faded and his eyes stopped glowing. "I've already let her down this once; I don't want to let her down this way as well."

"Well, it's either she already knows." The winged man felt a small hand on his shoulder. "Or she already knows."

"What makes you so sure?" Damien turned to the smirking boy.

"I've heard what this Jeanne thinks of you. I've heard what Bayonetta says, hell I've heard it from you." He gestured to the wall, and a portal back to the area surrounding the Gates of Hell appeared. "I think you'll be fine with your girl problems, mate."

…

The Lumen Sage groaned as he finally returned to a state of relative consciousness, his vision blurry and movements groggy. Pulling himself out of the rubble of the building he had fallen through, he found himself in a place he could only describe as peculiar, until he saw the glass prison in the centre of the area.

The Gates of Hell. His lip curled into a snarl. So they were trying to save their 'friend' after all.

Hearing voices, he froze and then utilised lightspeed to gain a better vantage point. Glancing down from the tower he was no on top of, he watched with derision as the boy and the imposter walked underneath him, finally discovering his landing crater.

"Yeah, he was here." The boy glanced around, but not up. "He probably slunk off again, because that's all he does, I guess."

"Do you know why he is after you?" The imposters voice was deadly quiet. The Sage's eyes drew themselves to him, narrowing in confusion. Why did this person hold his in such contempt?

Better yet, who in the trinities was this person?

"The fuck if I know!" Loki answered, and the Sage was broken out of his reverie. "I don't recall making many deals with the Lumen Sage's; I don't think I mingled with them that much, to be completely honest."

"But why would a Sage want to kill a little boy? Or a god, for that matter?" The pair continued to walk, the Lumen Sage crawling on the rooftop above them.

"There's probably plenty of reasons, mate. You didn't gleam anything important from his mind, did you?" The boy asked.

"Only his name." The sheer amount of rage the voice contained intrigued him. "And it is not worth repeating!"

"Fine, fine." The had arrived at their destination, seemingly, and he finally became aware of the sounds of battle ahead of him. Glancing up, he saw a golem with surprise, then anger at the witch that was fighting it.

"Thank you for bloody taking your time?" Her voice carried traces of amusement, and he figured she didn't mean that. She slipped under a sweep and sent a weave into its core, momentarily stunning the autonomous entity. "Please tell me you got whatever you needed to be able to open up the Gates."

That confirmed it. The Sage watched with interest as the boy clicked his fingers, and several pieces of a severed cube appeared above his head, then floated over to one of the various diamond-shaped structures and morphed and melded to fit it. An intense blue light shined from it, and a strange portal opened up in the centre.

"What have you done now?" He whispered to himself as the witch finally broke apart the golem, its metallic skin flying everywhere.

"Alright! We just need to send an object through the accelerator, and the barrier around the prison should shatter!" The boy shouted, then pointed at the glowing core of the golem. "Two birds in one stone?"

"I was thinking the same, little one." She swung one leg around, and began to move her body to an invisible beat as she began to summon. "AFAA TADAAG NEPTA!"

A pair of giant hands grabbed onto the core and tossed it up into the air slightly, then hit it up with a kip up. A second pair of hands laid it up, and a third pair attempted to spike it through the accelerator.

Except it missed and it fell to the ground, hitting the stone with a visible sound of deflation. The three arms froze in embarrassment, the boy and imposter giggled like children and the witch stamped her foot in annoyance.

"This is why I never use you…" She chided light-heartedly. Clicking her fingers, she pointed at the reforming golem and the arms of Hekatoncheir answered by laying in dozens of rapid punches. The golem's armour was flung off around the nude witch, and then each pair of hands stuck as one, launching the ball into the sky. A pair flew up to spike the core, and this time they did not miss.

The core flew into the accelerator with great speed, and then was flung at nearly lightspeed at the prison itself. Smashing through, the barrier shattered and the Gates flipped upright, revealing itself finally to the trio, and the masked Lumen.

"We did it!" The imposter ran and embraced the witch as the barrier separating them broke apart. "We did it!"

"Correction darling; I did it." The witch smirked, but returned the embrace. "We are so close…"

He snarled at them. How could he stand to be with her? And him? Looking back up at the Gates, he noticed a small blue flicker in front of them. Rising slowly and activating lightspeed, he gave a final look at the trio below before jumping to the Gates and to his ally.

He might have been the strongest Sage; he might have been able to beat one of them. But he wasn't stupid enough to fight all three of them without help.

…

The two people guarding the Gates dragged their happiness to a halt.

"Welcome, my friends, to the Gates of Hell." The floating blue spirit smirked at them. "A place once sealed off due to it's potential for… unruly activity."

"Listen mate, get out of our way." Loki stepped forward, his eyes ablaze. "And two, the mask is shit."

"Your sins must be punished!" The Sage growled, and Bayonetta pointed a gun at his face in response.

"Who are you?" The young god looked at the spirit, ignoring the enraged Sage for the time being.

"You pretend to forget me." The spirit shook its head mockingly. "Yet, even if your memory of me may now be lost, the Remembrances of Time exist… forever."

"Big words." Damien stepped forward, pushing the boy behind him. "Prophet."

"Ah, so you know my name." The Prophetic One gave him a peculiar look. "Interesting. This is a most interesting arrangement indeed…"

"Your rule over Paradiso ends here!" The Shuraba snapped out, and he pointed the blade at him. "No more shall the Laguna suffer at your hands!"

"But they don't." The words sent a chill down her spine. Bayonetta glanced at Loki, and he confirmed with a nod. "They don't suffer anymore."

"You are insane!" Damien jumped forward, slashing down at the spirit. The Prophet merely flickered and teleported up, laughing as he dodged.

"Me? Insane? You'll find that I am the most level person here, experiment." The spirit taunted. "Now, my dear friend, face me and prove your worth."

His lower wings snapped out as he took flight, chasing after the spirit. Back on the ground, the Sage was seemingly glaring at the child next to her, and his glaive appeared in his grip in a flash of light.

"Child or not, you will see no mercy!" The Sage roared. "Sovereign one!"

"You know, your little obsession with little boys has got me a little worried for what you dream of at night." She began to circle around him, her guns still trained on him. The Sage turned to her in a flash, his posture tense.

"I do not dream of children!" He screamed. "Your fallacies will end here and now, witch!"

Behind him, Loki pulled out a pair of cards and split them into three, taking a stance; his arms crossed over in an x over his chest, the six cards held at his fingertips, ready to be thrown and unleashed. The Sage heard him and realised he was about to fight on two fronts. Turning back to the boy, he pointed his glaive at him.

"The sins you have forgotten are timeless!" He reached up and pulled his mask down, and she heard his voice for the first time, unhindered by the mask. "Now remember them as you stare upon my face!"

Loki's eyes narrowed, then he smirked. "Sorry mate, nothing comes to mind. But now that I know that mouth of yours works, and that you have a working head, maybe you could jog my memory a bit?"

"With pleasure!" The Sage darted forward, and the battle began.

…

"Very well, experiment, it's time you learned of humility." The Prophetic one raised his hands, and a blue ball of fire appeared between them. A blue laser shot out, and the winged man shot to the side. The Prophet smirked and clicked his fingers as six massive arms appeared into existence around him. Damien's eyes widened, and then he was flying back from a punch. Recovering before he could slam into a building, he gracefully turned and landed on his feet, launching himself back at the spirit. The six arms reached out in a shove, and he dropped underneath it, rising up to try and catch the spirit with a flick of the katana.

The Prophet merely moved out of the way, his eyes already displaying boredom. "So predictable."

Trying to ignore the obvious barb, he regrouped and tried to focus on the spirit. The Prophet did not let him, as he advanced with the six arms trying to each land a punch on the winged man.

Twisting around the attack, he summoned a small fireball and threw it at him, watching it impact with a small amount of satisfaction.

"Really?" The Prophet dusted himself off. "A fireball from an experiment of your talents? No wonder why I didn't choose you."

"I would rather die a slave than live as one!" He snarled back, then was interrupted by a scream below him. Glancing down, he saw Loki fall to his knees, and then pure memory assaulted his senses.

"Ah, and it was about time too." The spirit nodded his head. "Now the truth has been revealed, and the time to begin anew shall start."

Damien returned his attention back to the spirit as its fist drew back again and three launched at him in a massive swing. He summoned a small barrier, then watched with shock as it shattered, and he was launched yet again. This time he did not land gracefully as broke through a wall and slammed into a flying rock. Groaning, he opened his eyes to see the arms waving, and a giant tower reforming above the spirit. Then it was flying towards him, at an unnatural velocity.

Pathetically, he raised his hand and summoned a barrier, and the next thing he knew was it slamming into his face as he lost consciousness.

…

The Sage seemed to be ignoring her for the most part, but he simply couldn't land a hit on her companion with her there. Loki threw cards and taunted him, and Bayonetta merely deflected his strikes.

Finally, the Sage drew himself back and stared at the mostly smirking pair. "Why must you resist judgement!"

"Because, where is the fun in just going along?" She answered, fluttering her eyes, then grew serious. "You know, you have been a right pain in the side, for far too long."

Loki then collapsed to his knees, screaming and his hands holding his head. Both witch and Sage stared at him in utter confusion, then to each other.

"You didn't do this!" Bayonetta eyed the Sage warily.

"If I had the ability to do that witch, I would have done it earlier." The Sage growled and shrugged. "The boy is now being punished for what he has done!"

"What is he even being punished for!?" She pointed her guns at him, then they were interrupted by the sounds of stone smashing against stone, and a limp body fell to the ground beside them.

"Damien!" She screamed, and she hesitated as the Lumen Sage pointed his glaive at the shaking god.

"Your false quest ends here." He said, triumph lacing his words. "You will pay for your sins, and he will suffer for his!"

"Little one?" She kneeled, putting herself between him and the Sage and spirit.

"I remember now…" His eyes opened, and they were glowing blue. "I remember everything…"

"What do you remember?!" She glanced back, and the sight unnerved her. "Quickly!"

He ignored her and threw a card at the doors in the back. The Sage turned in surprise, and the Prophet's eyes narrowed. The card hit the doors, and then they began to open.

The four mortals immediately felt the effects of the rush of air and pull of Inferno. Bayonetta grabbed onto a rock, Loki grabbing the same piece of the terrain beside her. The Sage slammed his glaive into the ground, pinning himself in the spot. Damien merely flew into the portal and disappeared from sight.

"Bayonetta!" Loki whispered to her. "We need to jump! It's the only way!"

"Hold onto me, little one." She reached out and wrapped an arm around him. She felt his arms wrap around her torso, and she let go.

She didn't notice the Sage pulling his glaive out of the ground, and then him slipping out of Purgatorio to fly after them.


	12. Chapter 11: The Lumen Sage

_Author's note: I do not own anything from Bayonetta._

Chapter 11: The Lumen Sage

He felt the rocky texture underneath him immediately as he regained consciousness. She heard the roar of a storm, and the whispering of things unexplainable to a mortal pecking at her psyche and sanity. She could sense companionship and belonging, whereas he sensed distrust and rejection.

She was the first to realise where they were.

He was the first to realise they had made it.

"Well, my fellow travellers." Loki was standing on an outcrop as both Bayonetta and Damien stood up, their eyes blinking as they tried to adjust to the light. "Welcome to hell, love. You can thank me for saving your butts another time."

"What happened?" He whispered to her as he tried to balance himself.

"You got swatted, and now the little one has remembered everything." She replied, stretching her joints. He started in surprise, but caught himself.

"You remember everything?" Damien turned to the boy, his eyes wide.

"Yep. My name is Aesir, I am the God of Chaos and I have the power of time at my fingertips." He smiled confidently at them, a smirk nearly gracing his lips. "And you two need to find your friend."

They both smiled at him, then turned their attention to the view behind them.

"So, this is Inferno…" She said as she watched the weather of the realm of demons with a look of derision, her forearm aching. The immediate view was a bunch of brown rocks, and in the background was a tornado of red dust. Behind her was a cliff, and she was almost certain that Loki was standing on the edge of one too. "What a lovely place."

"It certainly hasn't changed." Damien muttered as his wing unfurled, shielding him from the dust. His hands glowed green as he began to heal himself. "How much time do we have left?"

"A day." She glanced at the watch with a grim look, then met his eyes with firmness. "Since time doesn't exist here as it does in the mortal realm, we need to be quick and precise; we can't afford to dally around!"

"Let's get going then." Damien anxiously peered over the drop, noting the strange rock formations beneath them. "No point in discussing that we don't have enough time."

"How will we know how to find her?" Loki piped up from ahead of them, turning around to face them. "We can't search the entirety of Inferno in just a day! That is a fool's errand, love, and you know that."

"He has a point." The winged man's face fell, despair beginning to lace his tone. "How are we supposed to find her?!"

"Don't use your eyes." She rolled hers as they both mentally slapped themselves at their idiocy, Loki taking it much more harshly than him.

"Stupid Loki!" He muttered to himself. "Just because you just regained your memory, doesn't mean you can be complacent!"

"Hey, it's ok." Damien smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I forgot, and it's one of my strongest abilities."

"Well, are we all ready?" Bayonetta interrupted them, and they both stared a little foolishly at her. "We can't afford to waste any more time!"

Damien nodded, then suddenly became alert. Shuraba snapped into his hand as he whirled around, suspicious. He glanced to the top of the cliffs behind them, then spotted someone at the top. His eyes narrowed, then fell as he recognised who it was.

"We aren't alone." He hissed as he glanced to the witch, his face starting to go red in anger. "You again..! How did you get here!?"

"Huh?" Bayonetta whipped around, her senses telling her that someone else other than the three was somewhere behind them. "Who?"

"It's him!" Loki finally realised who he was talking about, following his gaze. "He fucking followed us!"

Bayonetta felt her forearm throb, and her anger grew. He couldn't be here. But then again, he had been a thorn in their side for too long; and this time, she was going to remove it or at least find out why he wanted to be stuck in them. "Leave him to me."

"Cereza!" Damien turned to her, his eyes wide. "You know his blade… whatever it is, it isn't just metal! Let me fight him!"

"I only need to delay him. And we know you will kill him mercilessly or die trying." She tossed Jeanne's watch to him as he stared at her in shock. "If I do this, you two can focus on rescuing Jeanne. You've been here before, and Loki is no slouch. He can help in a lot more ways than I can."

"Bullshit." He coolly replied. "You know I can take him."

"I want to do this myself; he and I have a score to settle." She looked at him with a serious expression. "I want to prove it to myself."

Damien looked torn, but ultimately he conceded by turning away.

"You sure you are going to be ok, love?" Loki put an arm on her wrist, his eyes soft. "There's going to be no help if he-"

"If I die, let Jeanne know that she needs to get me." She smiled grimly, understanding his warning. "If it ever comes to that. Now go, before I fucking make you!"

Damien gestured to Loki as the boy transformed into a squirrel and jumped onto his back. With one last look at her, he jumped off the edge, his pair of wings slipping out to carry his descent. She smiled and hoped for a peaceful journey, then her face grew stony as she turned to see the Sage standing up behind her, his gaze fixed upon hers. He mask again hid all signs of humanity, but his posture was enough to convince Bayonetta that he had come for a fight.

"Umbra Witch…" His voice was a growl as he stood there. "Where is he? Where did you hide him this time?"

"What do you want!?" She summoned a gun and pointed it at his chest. "Or better yet, why do you want him!?"

"That monstrosity is merely one of many things on my list of people to die for sins that shall not go unpunished." He pointed at her, his voice not masking the hate within it. "You are also one of them!"

"What the fuck have I done to deserve your ire?" She growled, stepping forward. The ache in her forearm was long forgotten and the wound itself was nothing but a speck in both of their minds.

"You killed my clan." His glaive snapped into existence as his hand fell down to his side. "You murdered my wife and child! Your impudence will cost you your life!"

"I have done no such thing!" Her second gun appeared in her other hand in a flash. "And the only Sage I have ever killed had it coming!"

"You lie!" He jumped into the air, his glaive twirling. Bayonetta sent a few warning shots in his direction, then leaped forward with an afterburner kick to meet him. Connecting with his glaive, she twisted through the swing, sending his upper body off balance and sent a roundhouse weave into the now vulnerable Sage's side. He roared in pain as it connected, sending him flying into the cliff behind them. Watching him slam into the rock with great satisfaction, she saw his mask partially shatter.

"Surrender, or it will be more than that mask you will lose!" She landed and began to walk towards him, both guns held out. The Sage leaped back to his feet, his right eye exposed to the world.

And it was glowing blue.

"The…?!" She stopped in shock. "The Right Eye? But-"

"You recognise who I am, witch?" He snarled as he tore his mask off and tossed it to the ground, smashing it into pieces. "Do you recognise who I am?! What I have become?!"

His hood fell back to reveal an eerily familiar face. High cheekbones, golden eyes, long silver hair and pale skin met hers. A golden monocle rested upon his left eye, and his right was tainted with blue.

He looked exactly like her brother, yet different enough. Like he could have been his father.

"I don't care who you are, Sage!" She lied, concealing both her shock and uneasiness of the situation, remaining visibly confident. "All I care about now is stopping you before you hurt me or my friends!"

"You murdered innocents!" His voice was now pure rage, and his body shook with it. "You slaughtered them, tortured them, destroyed my life, and you don't even care enough to know my name!?"

"Your name can be fuckhead for all I care!" She let her power flow into herself, her sleeves and cloak disappearing to reform as her hair. "You have gone too far this time, Sage!"

"I haven't gone far enough!" He swept his arms out wide as two giant peacock wings sprouted from his back. His glaive reappeared in his left hand, and a blade of pure light appeared in his right. "Tell me, Umbra Witch; what is your name?"

"It is not of your concern, Lumen Sage!" Bayonetta answered, taking her stance against the floating man. "Shall we continue what was started five hundred years ago?"

"Your overconfidence will be your undoing." The Sage snarled, his face oddly calm. "Let it be known that you, Umbra, will be the first witch to die at my hand! I swear it upon the corpses of my wife and child, and my remaining honour as a Lumen Sage!"

"You will not defeat me." She snarled in return, steadfast against the rising doubt and curiosity within her. "I have people who need me."

"And with your defeat, shall my clan be avenged!" He flew forward, screaming as he did. His glaive twirled on his hand, then he twisted and threw it into the ground. The ground shattered, and Bayonetta took to the skies, letting Malphas's wings carry her aloft.

"You will die!" He bellowed as he telekinetically began to grab all the debris around him, trying to twist it into a tornado. Transforming into a crow, she shot forward like a spear and retransformed to kick him in the gut, both interrupting him and throwing all the levitating rocks out of sync, causing them to plummet out of reach. Sending two wicked stomps at him, one connected and she grabbed him as she flattened him mid-air, grabbing his arm and tossing him towards a large outcrop below them, trying to get the fight back onto the ground. The Sage read her intention and whipped the blade of light like a lasso and latched it onto her ankle. Grunting in annoyance, she tried to untether herself from him. The blade burned at her gloves, and she figured that it wasn't going to loosen before they smashed into the ground. Sending some bullets at the Sage, who held up a small barrier to deflect them, she braced herself for impact.

However, the Sage didn't have a death wish and broke the pair apart before they both plummeted to their deaths. Twisting and landing in a crouch, she looked up as the Sage did the same. Letting the dust settle, they stared at each other; one with anger and the other with unbridled hostility.

"Why do you resist so much, witch?" He rose to his feet, discarding his glaive. "Do you truly seek to finish the job your clan started five hundred years ago?"

"I resist because I want to fucking live, idiot." She spat as she stayed in a crouch, looking up at him. "Do your worst!"

His eyes flashed as he launched himself at her again, his blade of light swinging in wild arcs at her. Backing off, she sent a few bullets at him to break his concentration, which succeeded. Breaking off his attack, a large Lumen barrier appeared from his free hand as he advanced towards her, snarling.

"Into the light!" He twisted around her and raised his hand, and she barely dodged his glaive as it shot up from the ground. Bayonetta tried to send a weave in his direction, but the Sage was simply far too relentless. He clicked his fingers and twisted around again as his glaive began to shoot out from all directions, trying to impale the witch. Bayonetta weaved through each attack, trying to keep her eye on the Sage.

"HONONOL!" A golden fist crashed into her, and she screamed as she flew backwards and landed in a heap. Groaning softly, she watched a smirking Temperentia fade away into dust as he unsummoned the Auditio.

"SIZICIEL!" She glanced up to see meteors flying at her. Cursing, she rolled to her left, letting them impact beside her as she flipped up to her feet. Glancing to the edge of the outcrop, she watched with apprehension as it began to crumble. Sending a barrage of weaves at the Sage, she watched with grim satisfaction as several caught him and threw him down to the ground. Capitalising, she pounced forward, firing a hail of bullets at his stomach. He twisted out of the way and rose back to an upright position as Bayonetta began to reassess the situation, continuing to keep the suppressive fire going, even though his flickering form meant she was hitting the rocks behind him.

"You cannot flee!" The glaive reappeared in his hands as he swung wildly again, this time the blade augmented by the energy of the light in his hand. The length of the blade forced her to retreat back, and she stopped about a metre from the edge of the cliff behind her. Summoning a small barrier, she utilised as a small shield as she parried each attack as they came.

"Farewell!" She screamed as a swing of his glaive slipped through her defences and sliced into her stomach. Sending a weave into his face, she created some space as she checked herself.

It wasn't deep. Good. She turned back to see the Sage recovering from her punch. His eyes betrayed his anger, and she reflected on just how much he looked like Damien right then. He swung his hand up, the blade of light extending out, trying to catch her from beneath. Slipping out of the way and activating witch time, she ran towards him, charging up a wicked weave. Ending the spell, she let it crash into him and he was now the one being flung back. Unfortunately, he regained his balance far quicker than her, and he twisted around in a backhand swipe, his glaive reappearing to slice towards her.

Kicking it back, she sent two normal punches to the side of his head, rocking and stunning the man. Sweeping her legs out, she tripped him and then tossed him up into the air with a wicked uppercut. The Sage roared in both pain and fury as a fireball formed in his hand, and he shot down towards the ground, slamming the fireball into the ground and sent a small explosive of fire outwards. Jumping over it, she knocked him back up with an afterburner kick and witch strike combo, then kicked his face with a downwards kick, twisting her leg over and throwing all her weight down. To her credit, she did manage to ground the Sage, but he slipped out from being slammed face first into the ground. Clicking his fingers and staring murderously at her, he summoned thousands of feathers behind him. Gesturing forward, he threw them all at the witch, trying to turn her into a pin cushion.

Bayonetta threw herself to the side again and heard the rock behind her shatter from the force of the feathers. Returning her full attention to the Sage, she had noticed that he was now back on the ground somewhat permanently, his gaze trained on her. Twisting herself up to her feet, she pointed her guns at him in a warning.

"Are you frightened, witch?" He asked, baring his teeth and mockingly gesturing towards her. "This blade has struck you twice, and yet you are still standing. I would be surprised at your will to live, but it is to be expected with monsters like you. You will die, witch; it is inevitable."

She glared at him, then sprang forward, guns blazing. He smirked and raised his hand.

"LAVAVOTH!" Several vents opened up around him, and her eyes widened as she flew across them. Lava burst out in pillars, rising and obscuring him from her vision. She quickly transformed through bat-within to avoid the flames, and then grabbed onto his head as she retransformed, her Left Eye glowing a dull red.

"What are you doing?!" He bellowed as he tried to throw her off. "Get off of me!"

"Finding out from the source." She grimaced, and then her Eye began to glow brightly as it recognised its twin. Doing what Damien had once described to her, she gathered her psyche and pushed. "Because I want to know!"

He screamed as she entered his mind, and familiar memories flashed before her eyes:

…_the feeling of love and determination as he held a small baby in his arms._

…_the feeling of happiness and belonging as a very familiar girl talking to an extremely familiar woman as the Sage laughed at her inquisitiveness._

…_the feeling of shock and betrayal as he discovered the Sage's sent to find him and his daughter._

…_the feeling of confusion and sadness as he walked into a place Bayonetta had seen once, full of dead bodies and destruction…_

…

"_Loki; why do I care about a person called Loki?" The Sage tilted his head. "To what importance is he, especially to me?"_

"_The being called Loki consorted with the Umbra and lied to them about a plot to overthrow the darkness and replace the trinities with light." The Prophet answered. "He convinced them to kill each Lumen Sage, their trainees and their families, all to further his intentions."_

"_What intentions?" The Sage's attention was fully on the cloaked man. "You mean to tell me they died because your other half lied to them?!"_

"_Not exactly; they were all becoming a threat to Loki's plans to recover his lost power. So he simply made sure that they weren't going to interfere, ever." The Prophet smiled sadly. "They didn't suffer. I can tell you that."_

"_The Witches and the Lumen were always at odds with each other, especially after my daughter was born." He looked to the side and kicked a rock away in anger. "It wouldn't surprise me if they went to war with each other, but for the Elder to listen to someone that isn't her or Sheba? I doubt your words."_

"_You have to accept it as the truth." The man looked solemn. "For it is the truth."_

"_What happened to Rosa? Cereza? What happened to my wife, and my daughter?" He turned back, his mind racing as he finally realised what he couldn't sense. "Where are the Umbra? What time is this!?"_

"_Right after your power was stripped of you, the Umbra were advised by Loki that letting them both live any longer would simply be a threat to the safety of reality. Something you know to be false." The Prophet said simply. "They told your wife of your supposed passing, and she hung herself with a rope they offered as consolation."_

"_You lie!" The glaive sprang into his hand and he pointed it at him, shaking in rage. "You lie! The Umbra swore they would not harm her!"_

"_Did the Umbra not lie to you before?" The Prophet shook his head. "After realising she was dead, the Elder ordered that Cereza was bought before her, for now she had no describable purpose. They stripped her of her sight and her speech through… primal methods, then bound her in a cage for her to starve to death, all whilst calling out for her mother or father to save her."_

_He collapsed to his knees, screaming in agony, his hands on his head. "No… They can't have… They would not have stooped to those lows! I should have been there for her!""_

"_I'm sorry, Balder." The Prophet bowed his head. "I… wish I could've done something to help."_

_He didn't want to believe, but he could feel it in his heart. _

_They were gone._

_What was the point? His family was dead. Everyone he had known was dead. He was the only one left. His heart ached as he felt tears flow from his eyes, his body trying to remain calm and collected. He was a Lumen Sage; his emotions were not allowed to get the better of him._

_His hands were beginning to crack the stone beneath him as he tried to release something, anything from what he felt. His breathing was beginning to hitch, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he too was cracking open, his emotions out for the world to bear._

"_If you were curious, Loki is still very much alive in this time. Along with him are the two remaining Umbra Witches." The Prophet mentioned, and Balder's eyes snapped to the figure, his emotions partially forgotten._

_He couldn't save his daughter, or his wife. But he could still avenge their deaths._

_Or was it revenge? He didn't know, and to be frank, he did not care. He wanted justice._

"_Where?" His voice sounded alien, even to himself. The rage it contained was foreign to his normal, calm, self._

_He focussed on it, drawing strength from it. Everything else became a small dot in the back of his mind. _

_He kind of liked it._

…

Bayonetta felt herself being thrown out and off the Sage, but her hurt and shocked face told the story.

She knew who this was. She knew his pain. She understood his pain.

Her father's pain.

"How dare you?!" Balder looked at her in absolute fury. "You seek to understand?! You understand nothing of my agony!"

She looked up to see him staring at her with murder in his eyes. Momentary confusion filled them as he saw her numbed expression, but anger quickly replaced it.

"You pity me?" He snarled, summoning his glaive back to his hand. "You took everything from me!"

He jumped, raising the blade above his head, roaring as he bought it down in a massive slam, throwing all of his weight behind it. Sluggishly, she crossed her guns to meet it, barely holding back the swipe from cleaving her in two.

"You will not be forgiven!" He hissed as he pushed down harder, rage fuelling his strength. "You will never be forgiven!"

She swallowed and tried to find the strength to fight. The strength to do anything. All she had to do was send a weave into his side, and then capitalise from there.

She couldn't.

He was broken. She felt it and had seen it. She couldn't fight him. Her leg buckled, and she fell to a knee, her eyes beginning to form tears.

Didn't he have an Eye? Couldn't he see the truth?

"On my soul as a Lumen, you will draw your last breath before me!" His arm pushed down further, and the ground shuddered and warped beneath her. "You will die for your sins!"

She looked up, and saw the lipstick tube again, and this time she finally read what was inscribed on it.

_For the birth of our daughter, Cereza. In our everlasting love; Balder and Rosa._

She couldn't. No more.

She slipped out from under the swipe, letting the glaive slam into the ground with enough force to cleave off the edge of the outcrop. She turned to him, letting her guns drop to the ground, her arms returning to a neutral position. Balder's eyes widened, then the fury returned.

"You dare to mock me?" He summoned the glaive back into her hand. "Fight, Umbra!"

She stared at him with eyes full of concern and pain, watching his expression move to puzzled. Her resolve hardened as she replied.

"No."

Three seconds passed.

"What?" Balder's eyes narrowed, his posture exhibiting confusion.

"I won't fight you." She shook her head, and her hands fell into a peaceful gesture. It took a second for the Sage to realise her intentions, and his face contorted back to anger.

"Then you will die!" He rushed at her and grabbed her in a choke. She felt her primal fight or flight desire kick in, but she quelled her instinct to fight back as her father lifted her up with one hand, his eyes burning holes through her. Twisting and throwing her at the wall, he didn't wait for her to impact and followed through with his body and threw his glaive after her with a backhand toss. She slammed into the wall, and then barely registered the golden weapon entering her shoulder and ploughing through it, pinning her down. She screamed in pure agony as he stalked towards her, eyes blazing.

"How does it feel, Umbra?" He hissed as he pulled his glaive in two, leaving her trapped. "To know a fraction of my pain?"

"Stop…" She whispered, and then felt a punch break her nose.

"You! You do not have the right, to tell me to stop!" He grabbed her face, making her look him in his eyes. Her eyes begged and pleaded, but his were having none of it. "You deserve more than a quick death, Umbra."

"Please…" She tried to reach out, then felt her hand shatter as he kicked it, and then stomped on it while it rested against the wall. Screaming in pain yet again, she watched helplessly as his eyes finally expressed a positive emotion.

Relief and satisfaction. Bayonetta felt sick as she realised what was about to happen. What was going to happen.

He was going to kill his own daughter to avenge the death of his own daughter.

"Prepare to meet your destiny!" He drew his glaive back, and she closed her eyes, thinking of Luka.

The blow never came. Opening her eyes, she saw a small blue barrier holding it from slamming into her head. Hope blossomed in her heart, but then it fell to despair as she recognised the spirit behind them.

"What is this?" Balder asked rhetorically and turned as he returned the glaive to his side. "Why are you, of all people, interfering!?"

"You do know the deal, Balder." The Prophet smirked as he floated forward. "Although I must admit your trick to leave me in both Purgatorio and the mortal realm was smart, but very predictable. But alas, the bitch must live. She has got an important role to play still."

"My revenge is far more important than anything you could stop it for!" He turned, pulling the second half of the glaive out of her. Bayonetta collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily and in tremendous pain.

"Is it?" The Prophet raised an eyebrow as his spiritual form began to walk towards them. "Are you going to kill her?"

"She deserves it!" He roared, pointing the reformed glaive at him. "If you want to stop me, then you will fall too!"

"You're going to betray me." He sounded unamused, almost bored. "For reasons I cannot begin to fathom."

"If it comes to it, I will!" Balder stepped forward and threw his glaive at the spectre. The Prophet sighed, and held up a hand, telekinetically catching the glaive before it hit him. Waving his other, he froze the Sage in place with a paralysis spell.

"Why must you always do this…" He shook his head, and then clicked his fingers. The glaive then shot back at Balder, much faster than it was thrown and almost indecipherable to the human eye, and it pierced him in the stomach. The Sage gasped, and his power wilted away as he was flung back into the wall where Bayonetta was, bouncing off it and landing in a messy heap. She reached out to him, and he knocked her hand away with a weak push.

"Don't touch me!" He hissed, his voice not bothering to hide the pain he was in. Ignoring him and the agony in her body, she crawled until she was between him and the Prophet. Defiantly looking up, her determined eyes sent a single message to the bemused spirit:

_You will not harm him. _

"Ah…" He smiled, his eyes twinkling. "You have discovered the truth."

"Stop this." Her own voice sounded weak to even her, and the spirit laughed.

"This is the natural proceedings of things, my Left Eye!" He smiled. "However, I guess it is time for me to do this; what it is I am meant to do here."

Bayonetta wasn't listening. She had turned back to the rapidly fading Balder and was checking him, trying to make sure he was still alive and was going to stay that way.

"What are you doing?!" He drowsily asked. "Cease your actions, witch!"

"It's time you two died, and in a way where you won't be coming back." The Prophet was walking towards them now. "The past offers some sanctuary for me; perhaps my other selves won't screw up this time."

She didn't care. Balder was about to lose consciousness, and she grabbed his hand.

"Stay with me." She whispered as he fell into the realm of dreams. "Stay with me! Balder! Daddy!"

"Don't worry, Bayonetta." The spirit was next to her. "Or should I say, Cereza?"

"Don't call me that!" She snapped, and then screamed as her shoulder began to burn.

"Oh, are you sad that your father here hates you?" He then adopted a playful tone. "That Daddy dearest doesn't love his dumb daughter? Foolish girl. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I'll tell him the truth." She wavered, as her vision began to swim. She was losing consciousness, fast. "He'll know it. He'll realize it!"

"You think he will just accept it?" He taunted, leaning down to her. "You do not understand…"

"He has the Eye." She murmured. The Prophet sighed and closed his eyes.

"Let me put it this way; he hates your existence! He will stop at nothing until you are dead. And you know that." He reopened them, focussing on her like a laser.

"He has the Right Eye." She shook her head, trying to keep herself awake. "He will know the truth when it is revealed to him."

"He doesn't want the truth; what he wants is revenge." The Prophet smirked. "And I was the one to give it to him."

"He wants his family." She whispered, fighting to keep herself awake. "I will give… give that to him…'

"Either way." He stood back up and looked down on the pair. "It's time for you two to have a little travel and give myself a chance to obtain the Eyes before this all started. Let's just say, if you want to come back, forgiveness is necessary. If you can both find it."

Kicking Bayonetta in the head, he knocked her out in a single blow. Clicking his fingers, he opened a blue portal on the wall behind them, and he gave the pair a light push to send them through it.

"Adios." He waved, and then slammed a palm against his forehead in frustration. "Idiot! Why did you send them there, and then of all times, especially with the new lie?"


	13. Chapter 12: Reconciliation

_Author's Note: I do not own anything from Bayonetta._

Chapter 12: Reconciliation

"_Daddy?" A small girl was standing at his doorway again, her voice small. Balder turned, a small smile on his face._

"_Cereza." He gestured to her, and she climbed onto his lap, curling up against his chest. "You know Mummy would have a fit if she found out you were up and about at this time at night."_

"_I saw them again…" She was starting to cry, and his eyes hardened. "The ghosts…"_

"_The ghosts are back, you say?" He glanced up at her room, sensing several denizens of Paradiso lingering around it. "Do you want me to scare them off again?"_

"_They scare me, Daddy…" Cereza looked up at him, her small face streaked with tears. "They scare me more than you can think!"_

_He chuckled. "I can think about a lot, my dear child. Now, lets go and sort this ghost problem, shall we?"_

_Adjusting her in order to get a grip, the former Sage stood up, and walked back up the stairs, his features not displaying the annoyance he was feeling. Couldn't they see that the prophecy was a sham? And why wouldn't they leave him alone? _

_Placing her down outside of her bedroom, he smiled at her. "Now, until I come back out, do not enter this room. Understand?"_

"_Yes, Daddy." The girl nodded, her eyes focussing on the door. Rolling his eyes slightly, Balder pushed open the door and stepped into Purgatorio._

_A trio of Joys greeted him. "_Sage Balder, bearer of the Right Eye._"_

"_What you all want?" He growled. "I have quit being the Eye, I am not a Sage any more and I certainly do not want anything to do with Paradiso, at least until Cereza can look after herself!"_

"We come with a warning_." The middle one stepped forward. "_Of events that have not yet come to pass._"_

"_What warning?" He stood at attention, his eyes narrowed. "Tell me, first sphere seraphim; what did you see?"_

"Tomorrow the world you know comes to an end._" The one on the left answered._

"We warn you of this, and hope that you take note of it._" The one on the right finished. "_We believe the child holds great potential. Do not let her fall._"_

_Balder reflected on their words, his mind trying to piece it all together. Closing his eyes, he tried to not explode in emotion as he realised what their warning truly contained._

"_I will do anything to protect my daughter." He opened his eyes, staring at them gravely. "What must I do?"_

"You must do what the clan expects you. But Cereza's safety must be ensued, no matter what._" The middle one nodded. "_We will watch over her._"_

"_Thank you." He whispered as they faded back into Paradiso, and he let the mortal realm take him again. Standing immobile for a few seconds, he felt someone tugging at his leg._

"_Daddy?" Cereza called up. "Are they gone?"_

"_Yes." He snapped back into reality, turning and picking up the small child. "My dear, sweet Cereza…"_

"_Yes?" The girl stared quizzically at him, her head tilting._

"_You are destined for great things." He began. "No matter what happens, I will always be watching over you. Always be with you, in here." He poked her chest. "Even if I go, I will always love you."_

"_Daddy?" Cereza leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What's wrong?"_

_She was too perceptive. He smiled as tears began to fill his eyes._

_She always made him proud._

"_Nothing, my child." He swung her around, letting the sound of her joyous screams fill the air for what could be the last time. "Now, let us get you back to bed."_

…

_What a strange dream…_

Bayonetta painfully awoke to a strange, yet familiar, place. Her stomach and arm ached, her head was pounding with a headache and her shoulder was screaming at her. She grimaced, letting tears fill her closed eyes as she sat up. Beige architecture, green plants and the scent of Paradiso assaulted her senses as she opened her eyes. It was only once she stood back up that she truly realized where she was.

"I know this place…" She examined a wall, gently caressing it with one hand. "I've been here before."

She had been here for most of her life, and had never wanted anything to do with this place again.

Vigrid. Instead of it being nothing but a pit of death and destruction, the walls were gleaming with power, and the vegetation was bright green with its health.

Her arm fell limply to her side as all feeling was lost. Biting her lip, she tried to shake some feeling into it, screaming in pure agony as white-hot pain scorched her body. Tears fell from her eyes as she regained movement of it, her mind revelling in the small victory. She let her own sobs become the only sound in the small clearing, feeling nothing but pain.

The sound of a male's cries reached her ears, and then she remembered that she had a 'sidekick' with her. Twisting around, she found Balder lying on the ground, his glaive still sticking out of stomach, moaning in his unconscious state. Dropping to her knees, silently praising both Jeanne for making her take that advanced first aid course and the fact that she now had something to distract her, she began to assess the puncture.

For certain, the Prophet had not hit anything important. The glaive had sliced through nothing but flesh and skin. Frowning to herself, she figured that he wouldn't want his Right Eye to be dead, and that killing her father well before she was supposed to would probably change the present to the point where his plans couldn't be enacted to easily.

_Or was it after?_ She thought. _Time travel is confusing…_

Turning her attention back to the wounded man in front of her, she mentally prepared herself, then tore off a long strip of her hair from her suit. Biting down and holding back the cry of anguish, she lifted the sage and tucked an end underneath him, making sure it was reachable when she set him back down. Grabbing the glaive, she quickly wrenched it out, and to her relief it came out cleanly. Tossing it to the side, she grabbed the strip and began to tighten it around his stomach, applying much needed pressure to the wound.

Tying it off, she began to softly chant as small healing energies passed from her hand to the wound. Damien was the far superior of the three of them at magic, but both her and Jeanne had figured out the basics of healing spells from his teachings. Well, if you could say he was teaching them. She had definitely rubbed off on him on teaching methods, unlike Jeanne.

But it was those basics that was going to keep him alive. She wished he was here to heal him properly.

Her own body ached and roared in rebellion, but she quenched the pain away. She needed to heal him first. He was the one in danger of dying first.

The Left Eye began to scream warnings at her, and she heard faint voices approaching them. Cutting off her healing spell, she carefully lifted the Sage, biting down a scream as her shoulder burned in agony, and carried him into the building beside them. Luckily, it was long abandoned and was emptier than Luka's lollipop stash at home. Dashing out, she grabbed his glaive and tossed it in next to the Sage, running in after it and closing the door silently.

Casting a light concealment spell, she listened in on the pair of female voices as they discovered their previous location, trying not to cry out as her shoulder began to flare up again.

"…well, it looks like someone was here at least. The Elder was right."

"This blood looks recent. With any luck, we should be able to find them."

"You really think they are just going to be able to be found like that, with little effort?" The first voice argued. "If the giant energy spike is anything to go by, they probably have cast a concealment spell, and a good one at that."

"So, what you are saying is…?" The second voice asked.

"We need to be there for Lady D'Arc's trial. Saying nothing was here will allow us the time to prepare ourselves."

Those words caused a sinking feeling to form in her stomach. Swallowing, she glanced back at the unconscious man.

"And now I know when this is…" She whispered, dread filling her. Turning her attention back to the voices, she tried to continue listening, only to find they had left.

Smiling slightly at her luck, she waved away the spell and returned her full attention to the injured Balder. Making sure he wasn't going to bleed out, she turned and began to explore the empty house. The room she was in was obviously the living area, or meeting space. Three hard benches surrounded a small firepit, each leading to a room. The first room contained the kitchen equivalent from the 1500s, and the second contained what looked like a washroom.

The third contained a staircase leading both upwards and downwards. Glancing back at the sleeping man in the living room, figuring he wasn't going to wake up and kill her anytime soon, she decided to head up first. The first room contained a sign with 'Keep Out' written in Enochian, so she decided with a small smile that would be her first visit.

Unlocking the door and opening it, she found it contained what looked like a small study – a desk, a small library, and a chair. Her curiosity piqued again when she saw a journal open on the desk. Judging by the dust that covered everything, the journal had been left there for a long time. Approaching it, she read the words printed on the page, dread beginning to fill her.

_The time has come. They have found us. I don't know how. I don't know why._

_My daughter cannot stay here. They already got to Balder; the Lumen discovered and took him almost a week ago. The Umbra will find her, and I do not know what they will do to her. It's not safe for her, and it is not safe fo_

The passage ended in an abrupt spill of ink. The cold feeling was beginning to increase. Bayonetta began to breathe heavily, and she ran out of the room.

The next two rooms were simply labelled 'Cereza' and 'Balder and Rosa'.

Tears began to fall from her eyes. This was her childhood home. This was her home. Her wounds were beginning to throb, and pain was filling every sense she had. Her arm dropped down limply as all feeling left it.

Balder. Go to Balder. Make sure he is all good.

She dragged herself downstairs, trying to focus on the one thing she knew she could do.

Get Balder into a bedroom. More comfortable. Then heal him.

One thing at a time.

Grabbing the Sage, she began to carry him up the stairs. Her shoulder screamed in agony, and more blood dripped from her arm as she began to feel the pull of unconsciousness. What it would be to just fall asleep and-

FOCUS!

Kicking the door down, she placed him onto the dust covered bed, trying not to stir up anything.

Breathe. Heal Balder.

She placed a hand onto his forehead, concentrating on her magic. Now she was uninterrupted, she could properly, to the best of her abilities, heal him, biting down any pain she was feeling.

…

"She's this way!" Damien whispered to himself, Loki nodding in confirmation on his shoulder. Twisting his body into a dive, he plummeted towards the ground, his eyes narrowed and his face grave. His thoughts had not strayed from the battle between his sister and their father, and he had surmised he wasn't dead since he was still in one piece.

_Stop thinking about that. _Khepri chided. _Focus on what needs to be done._

Landing heavily, he stayed in a crouch as Loki jumped off his shoulder and transformed back into his human form. He looked around, noting how grandiose the building seemed to be. Purple and pink designs wrapped around the walls, and the floor was made of pure obsidian.

"I can sense her, mate. Well, an Umbra Witch and hopefully the one you are after." The young man flicked a hand of cards out, glancing around in the small clearing. "And something else too."

_Ahh, the knight in shining armour… So much for the former 'mighty' Lumen Sages…_

"Show yourself!" The winged man sprang to his feet, Shuraba flickering into his right hand. He held it in a reverse grip, trying to find the origin of the voice in his head. "Face us!"

_Why should I? You are not worthy of my attention, or my time…_

"I just want Jeanne!" He desperately cried out. "Just let her go!"

"And why would the Infernal do that?" A voice called out from behind them. "Impudent mortal. You know better than to demand from an Infernal. And of all people, you should know that."

"You!?" Damien turned to see the flickering blue spirit of the Prophet behind them. "What have you done with my sister!?"

"The same thing I did to your father." The Prophet smiled, then grew thoughtful. "Although, I've never tried this approach before."

"What?" Loki stepped forward. "What on earth are you on about, mate? All you ever do is speak in half-truths and metaphors; if I didn't know any better, I would say that you are hiding something!"

"Loki." The name dripped distastefully from the spirit's mouth. "Why do you bother with these troublesome mortals? Can't you see the error of their ways? And how they have ruined this planet with their mistakes that you have personally enabled?"

"Because it's better than enslaving them!" The boy argued. "You speak of control, yet without free will, nothing can progress! That is why we split into our two selves in the first place!"

"Troublesome puppet!" The Prophet glowered at the defiant boy. "You offer me nothing except your sovereign power. Now return to me that power, or you will suffer and I will take it regardless. You should know this inevitability. And if you don't, I just told you."

"No." Damien stepped between the pair, pointing the katana at the spirit's chin. "You aren't getting anything back to continue your little scheme you've been creating."

"You know nothing of my schemes, puppet. You really think I'm making it up as I go along? Now, get out of the way!" The Prophet screamed, insanity tainting his words. Damien clicked his fingers, and a small, golden portal opened beneath Loki.

"Woah!" The young man screamed as he fell down and out of the small alcove they were in.

_I'm sorry, little one._ Damien returned his attention to the increasingly angering spirit in front of him.

"How dare you!?" He bellowed. "How dare you!? Disobey me!? You are nothing but a broken puppet, just waiting to be destroyed!"

He returned his look with defiance.

"You mortals do not know when to quit!" The Prophet snarled and clicked his fingers. "I am the greater power; why must you keep resisting?"

A blue portal snapped into existence behind the winged man, its force pulling all objects near it in, making him slam the Shuraba point first into the ground in order to keep his position, his wing, hair and cloak flapping heavily from the forces.

"You will find nothing but the immense pain of your past waiting for you!" The Prophet glared in hatred. "And if your sister can forgive Balder, then all you three need to do to escape this is for you to forgive him too!"

The words struck him. His eyes widened as his mind whirled.

Forgive Balder?

He… couldn't. Not with what he had done.

He had no intention of forgiving the man as long as he lived.

"Now, goodbye!" Floating forward, the Prophet gave a swift kick to the katana, causing it to come loose and sending Damien flying back and towards the portal. "And good riddance!"

The winged man roared in defiance as he was sucked into the time vortex, then all went silent as it collapsed onto itself.

"Now, that's that." The spirit turned away and sighed in frustration. "Where could you have put my 'better' half?"

…

Bayonetta watched her father sleep, her mind mentally exhausted and her body burning with pain.

Far too many things had happened, all at once.

The man who was so desperate to kill both Loki and her was a pale shell of her father. A shell broken by a lie from the Prophet.

"_You killed my clan. You murdered my wife and child!_" Those words haunted her more than she could imagine. The images of her father, a powerful man, openly breaking at the lie, constantly replayed in her mind's eye. Bayonetta didn't know what to do about this. Hell, she didn't think to tell him the truth as soon as she possibly could.

She didn't know why she was so forgiving. He was going to unleash the witch hunts in two days. And then everyone Bayonetta had known would be dead, and the events she had dubbed the 'Fall of the Clans' would happen, and the world would be nearly destroyed at his command. Then during the next five hundred years, he would kidnap Jeanne, kill Antonio, kill tens of thousands of people all for nothing and mentally and physically torture Damien into the man he was. She should hate him. She had every right to hate him.

Yet she couldn't.

She had seen it in his eyes. She had seen it in his memories. He was a lost, desperate man. All he wanted was revenge for his family, not the assimilation of the world. Hell, if she was being truthful, the man just wanted to die, so he could be with his family.

_If only he knew…_ She thought bitterly. _If only he knew about me, and the truth…_

She finally decided not to tell him the truth. The Prophet's warning played through her mind, and she had surmised that if she did tell him, he would think that she was lying and she would be dead within seconds.

Did that mean he killed Mummy? She suddenly realised what was implicated from all of this; her father had unleashed the witch hunts, and from what she remembered Balder was near where Rosa had died.

She was beginning to panic. There was no way this Balder would kill Mummy; he would kill himself before he had done that. Her breathing was becoming erratic, and she tried to slow it down.

She began to sing to herself, trying to calm down. A song that her mother had only sung once ever to her reverberated in her mind, and she chose to let it flow from her tongue.

"_Moon river, wider than a mile,  
I'm crossing you in style, someday.  
A dream maker, you heartbreaker  
Wherever you're going,  
I'm going that way._

_Two drifters, off to see the world,  
There's such a lot of world to see.  
We're after the same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend,  
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me…"  
_

…

Balder awoke to the sound of a very familiar voice singing a very familiar song. A song that had played during their wedding, her favourite song.

It couldn't be.

She was dead. Maybe this was a dream. Maybe this was the afterlife, and he was about to be invited into the ranks of Paradiso. He hoped that was true; that way he would be out of this nightmare and be with them once more.

He was in his old bedroom, except he could smell the layers of dust around him. That alone was enough for him to realise he wasn't in a dream. He couldn't stand dust. Neither could she.

He wished this all was a dream, and he was going to wake up any moment with Cereza jumping onto him. But no girl came, and no laughter from his wife followed it.

Shifting slightly, he grunted in pain as it flared in his stomach. Confused for all of two seconds, he remembered what had happened. Right. He had been betrayed by Loptr from trying to seal his vengeance on the Umbra. He wondered who was singing, and whether they had saved him.

He wished they had not. The afterlife, hell any afterlife would be better than this accursed existence.

"R…r-rosa?" He croaked out, swallowing instantly at the painful dryness of his throat. The voice stopped, and he really wished it hadn't had. He quite enjoyed that voice, and he missed her singing that song. This was just as good, and the pang of sadness and nostalgia briefly overwhelmed the pain he was feeling.

"Please, don't speak." The voice's owner became far more apparent as she continued to speak, and his anger rose with every word. "You need to rest."

"Umbra Witch…" His voice contained enough venom for her to get the picture and scope of his feelings. "What are you doing to me?!"

He turned his head, and saw her sitting on a chair, staring at him in exhaustion, pain and…

Relief?

"I'm healing you, you dolt." She answered, frowning slightly at his actions.

"Healing me?!" He recoiled, ignoring the flare of pain. "Cease your foul practices, witch!"

"Foul practices?" She answered, amusement lacing her tone. "Are the healing arts all that bad? They are saving your life."

"The 'healing' arts are forbidden in your clan." He growled. "Even I know that."

Her frown returned, and her eyes began to water.

"Stupid witch…" He continued. "Why are you saving me?"

She didn't answer.

"Umbra Witch!" He bellowed, his anger winning out over his body's cries. "You will answer me!"

She still didn't answer. She appeared to be panicking slightly, with her breaths fast and laboured, and her body tensing up.

"Why are you saving me!?" He hissed. "You killed my brothers. You let my wife die. You slaughtered a defenceless little girl. What is a Lumen Sage to y-"

"Shut up!" She yelled, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Jesus motherfucking Christ, for once in your goddamn life, just shut the fuck up and let your body heal!"

He conceded that she was right. If he wanted to live, getting his body agitated was not the right course of action. Glaring, he closed his mouth and let silence reign.

"You know what, Balder?" His ears perked up. She knew his name. That alone was far more interesting than anything else that had transpired recently. "I think I prefer you this way; you actually shut up and follow directions for once."

"I do as I please." He snarled. "And how do you know my name?"

Silence reigned again.

"Umbr-"

"You are the last Sage. It's not hard to figure out which one you are." She answered quickly, but the hesitation was enough for him.

"Do not lie to me, witch." He let mock disappointment lace his tone. "The Umbra did not keep records of the Lumen, and they certainly will not remember the one whose life they tore apart!"

She didn't answer and opted to glare at him in silence.

"At least give me your name, witch." He sighed to himself as he felt the pain creeping up on him again. He knew that he would fall unconscious again, and if he was being honest, he would rather that than to deal with the witch.

"Bayonetta." She answered after a moments hesitation, and Balder rolled his eyes as his body began to shut down into sleep.

"Of course, you lie." He began to drift off. "You cannot help it."

His last thoughts were of Rosa and of Cereza as he remembered them, and he silently mourned into unconsciousness.

…

The witch kept her head low as the guards walked her into the throne room. She could feel their hate for her; it was almost funny how much they had for her. It was only twenty years ago when they bowed down with reverence to her. Now, she was simply scorned. Was it rightful scorn for her? From their point of view, it was correct.

She knew the truth. They had no reason to scorn her.

The chains and shackles weighed down on her feet and wrists, and her Umbran uniform was dirty and greyed with dust. She felt inadequately prepared for this, and the gathered witches obviously shared the same opinion.

"She is here, madam." The head guard spoke, and the Umbran Elder nodded.

"Good. Now leave us." The normally sharp voice was dulled with pain. The guards murmured amongst themselves in surprise, but they followed her orders and walked out, leaving only the witch and her Elder remaining.

"You asked for me?" The witch asked, her voice small in the large room. The Elder nodded.

"Rosa." The Elder nodded. "I have a task for you."

Rosa tilted in her head in curiosity as she waited for the Elder to continue.

"This afternoon, a massive influx of energy was recorded from your old home." She began. "Two sentrarchs discovered a pool of blood and the signs of two bodies existing, but reported that no one was there nor that there was other evidence of someone being there."

"You think whatever caused the spike is still around?" Rosa narrowed her eyes, beginning to understand what her superior was getting at.

"I want you to investigate." The Elder nodded. "You know better than anyone here the contents of your home; you would know if anything was out of place."

"I understand." Rosa hesitated, then looked questioningly at her. "But why me?"

"Rosa." The Elder stood up and walked towards her slowly, her voice soft. "Of all of us, you are the strongest witch. And of all of us, the most expendable."

"I'm not the strongest wi-" She argued, but the Elder held up a hand.

"We both know you threw the fight when we fought for this stone." She held a hand over her Umbran watch, gesturing towards the dull red jewel holding the Left Eye. "You are the most powerful Umbran in recent history. If whatever is there is able to defeat you, we will regard whatever is there as a threat to the Umbra and take suitable measures to see it eliminated."

"I understand." Rosa knew there was no lies in her statements, only truths. "I will do my best, Madam."

"Good." The Elder placed her hand onto her mouth, and then placed it onto her forehead in a traditional farewell. Rosa's eyes widened at the gesture.

"But… why?" She gasped out, her voice cracking. "You've done nothing but hate me for twenty years!"

"I was talking with an old friend, and he revealed an important truth to me." She smiled at her, tapping on her forehead. "The prophecy? The chaos you have bought into this world? It's all a lie."

"I know." Rosa looked at her in hope. "It's the reason why I allowed it to happen."

"And we thought you as a mad woman when you told us." The Elder's smile dropped. "We have treated you and your daughter horribly for nothing."

"You didn't know any better." She shook her head. "I forgive you."

"We will make preparations for an apology-" The Elder began.

"Don't change how you treat her." Rosa held up a hand. "She will suspect something, and so will everyone else. And I do think there's a small sliver of truth to the prophecy; my daughter's abilities are far greater than an average Umbra. That cannot bode well."

"Understood." The Elder smiled again, then gave her a curious look. "Don't you have something to be doing?"

Rosa smiled and sprinted out.

…

Balder awoke to the sounds of pain. Opening his eyes to darkness, he frowned as the sounds became clearer to him. It was the sharp inhales from a hyperventilating person, followed by short gasps of relief.

"What in the blazes is she doing?" He pushed off the quilt covering him, feeling pain flare up in his stomach as he did. Grunting, he clicked his fingers and summoned a small ball of light and the room filled his vision. His old room, no their old room.

"And of course, I am shirtless." He rolled his eyes, stopping when he saw the makeshift bandage wrapped around his stomach. That was her hair, torn from her own head. He knew that was painful; Rosa had used her hair to bind a cut on his shoulder once. Hell, they had met the same day that had happened, and he could not forget the pain that she had endured just to make sure he had healed.

Who on earth was this witch? And most importantly, why did she care so much?

He stood up, clutching at his stomach. Letting the room spin as he reorientated himself, he saw his coat sitting on his chair, and his glaive leaning on her dresser. His boots were sitting at the edge of the bed, but they were not of his concern.

The pained whimpers were his main priority.

Slowly, he walked out of the room, leaning up against the wall for support. Letting the light guide his way, he finally arrived outside of his daughter's room. Resting slightly from the exertion, he listened in to her cries, frowning at her.

_What in the blazes was she doing?!_

He pushed open the door to see her holding her left arm, and bloody bandages surrounding her. She whipped around, her eyes glistening, her cheeks wet and her face pale. Her glasses lay discarded on the stand beside her, and her shoes were placed neatly at the end of her bed, just like Cereza used to do.

"Balder?!" Her voice was strained. "You shouldn't be up! You shouldn't be her-"

"Well, I am now, witch." He refused to call her that name she had given him. "What the hell are you doing?"

She didn't answer, and a small needle tumbled out of her left hand as it went slack. His frown turned into shock, then into realisation.

"Remove your glove." He commanded, and she shook her head furiously. "Remove it now!"

Biting down a cry of pain, the witch pulled her glove away to reveal an ugly cut still gushing blood, half of it bound. Kneeling, and ignoring the painful ripping in his stomach, he tenderly grabbed her hand, his Eye telling him all he needed to know.

She had been cursed. In three places, to be exact. Her forearm was obviously the oldest, from their first meeting. Her stomach and shoulder were the most recent, from the battle they had just fought.

It was a wonder she was still alive.

"What have you been doing with this?" He glanced up at her face, and his resolve began to slightly crumble. She looked scared, like a lost little girl.

"It doesn't heal." Her voice trembled with the pain she was visibly feeling, and he couldn't even begin to imagine the agony she was in. He was lucky that the Prophet had specified him and Loki as the only two unable to be affected by his glaive, otherwise they would both be dead.

"It won't ever." He picked up the needle and began to pull out the string trying to stitch the wound together, shuddering in disgust at her supposed 'plan'. "My blade was cursed, as a deal breaker with the Prophet."

"C-cursed?" Her sharp intake of air was all he needed to know about her reaction.

"It's cursed with time. Whatever it touches will stay in that state forever." He began to let his Lumen magic flow through his hand as he began to heal it. "With any hope, I should be able to fix it."

"Why…?" She shakily asked, looking at him with surprise.

"You saved my life. For reasons I will never understand or know because you refuse to tell me." He looked at her with apprehension. "So I will now return the favour."

He then looked down to see the cut re-slice itself open, cursing under his breath in shock. "If I can."

"That's why I was using the needle." Her voice was quiet as she reached in pain for the glove. "To try and keep blood from spilling."

"Smart, but not wise." He helped her place the glove on and began to tighten it around her wrist using the discarded ball of string. "This would've killed you well before the blood loss would have."

"I just want it to stop… Can't you do anything, Balder?" She was pleading with him. The man who had tried to kill her.

Why was she trying to plead with him?! It made absolutely no sense!

"Who are you?" He asked again, leaving her shoulder and stomach under her own hair. They would provide enough tension to keep herself from bleeding out.

"C- Bayonetta." She quickly replied, but he noticed the small, almost comprehendible slip.

"Why must you lie?" He looked her in the eye, and she looked away. "Why must you refuse to tell me the truth? If we were not enemies, and had met on friendlier terms, would you even consider telling me your name?"

Silence reigned as she mulled it over, her eyes still leaking tears of pain.

"No."

He grabbed her by the throat and threw her against the wall, eyes blazing.

"What is your problem, witch?!" He hissed as she began to beg. "You claim to know me through records only, but you obviously know me personally, if not closer than that! And why won't you tell me your godforsaken name?!"

"Please, Balder…" She tried, but he wasn't having any of it. He had had enough.

"You will tell me the truth, witch." He summoned his glaive and poked it at her shoulder, causing her to scream in agony. "Starting with your name, and then how you know me!"

She was sobbing from pain, and something he couldn't quite identify. His glare hardened, and he pushed the glaive back into her. Her screams doubled to new heights, and a small, dark part of him relished in her cries. She deserved this. They all deserved this.

Her pain was nothing of the sort he personally knew.

"Tell me, Bayonetta." The name dripped out like venom from his mouth as he continued to torture her. "Tell me! Now!"

"No…" She cried between screams. "I can't!"

"Then why did you kill them!?" He bellowed, driving the glaive almost fully into her wound. "Why did you kill my wife and child!?"

"HEY! You- Balder?!" An extremely familiar voice that was in complete shock carried into the room. The glaive fell to the ground as the Sage turned to the doorway in shock. Bayonetta fell to the floor, dazed and in tremendous pain.

"Rosa?" His voice was but a whisper to the witch standing in the door. His hands were shaking, and tears threatened to fall from his eyes. "They- He- Your-"

He swallowed, and he reached out hesitantly "He said you were dead… He said you were all dead…"

To his surprise, she had figured out what was going on. Flinging herself at him, she grabbed onto him in a tight embrace.

"They told me no one survived." She was crying into his chest as he returned the embrace. "They told me no Lumen Sage walked the Earth any longer…"

The pair stayed together for what seemed like an eternity, until a thought came crashing into Balder's head.

"What of our child?" He pushed her back, his eyes full of worry. "Where is Cereza?"

"She's attending the throne ascension ceremony right now." She smiled wanly at him, and his eyes softened at her, and a huge weight appeared to lift from his shoulders, then came crashing back down onto him.

…

Mummy was here.

Bayonetta stared dully at the ground, pain everywhere as tears spilled from her eyes. She didn't think that this was ever possible.

Mummy, Daddy and Cereza. All one family again.

"Bayonetta!" Balder's voice interrupted her, and his face appeared in her swimming vision. "Bayonetta! Please!"

"Hurts…" She whispered, and Balder visibly relaxed.

"She's still coherent. That's a start." Balder turned to his wife and gestured to her. "The string!"

"No time!" Rosa leaned down and got a glimpse at her face. Her mother nearly recoiled in shock, but managed to keep herself together. Reaching onto her hip, she tore three strips of hair from her leg, more hair immediately rushing to fill the exposed skin. Crying out softly in pain, she passed two strips to her husband and worked as one to tie the bleeding shoulder tightly.

"It's going to be ok." Batonetta heard her whisper. "Hold on and relax. You've been a brave girl."

She began to cry, her sobs and wails filling the room. The Sage flinched, and they could all see the guilt beginning to fill his form and eyes.

"Move her onto the bed." Rosa turned to Balder, who was refusing to meet her eye. "She needs the rest."

"On three." Balder grabbed her shoulders, and the pain was enough to send her into the dream realm once more.


	14. Chapter 13: Truth

_Author's note: I do not own any part of Bayonetta_

Chapter 13: Truth

The house was deathly silent, except for the small sounds of someone tinkering. The various lamps were lit, but no one was truly at home. They all felt like aliens inside their old abode.

Balder sat on his old chair as Rosa busied herself with getting the house up and running again. He honestly felt like shit. He rarely swore, for he didn't see the point, but he honestly did now. He had done terrible things, and he had enjoyed them.

A Lumen Sage, who was supposed to be the exemplar of impartial, unbiased judgement, had enjoyed passing it under a falsehood.

That girl, who was completely innocent in all of this, was on his mind. The Witch, Bayonetta. Her life was now in ruins because of him. All because of him. He knew it in his soul. Wiping away a small patch of dust, he clenched his hand in anger, trying to quell his fury and despair.

"Balder?" Rosa had taken note of his actions and was sitting opposite him, her hand on his own. Her eyes, hidden behind the strange butterfly glasses she wore, stared at his with sympathy and sadness. "What's wrong?"

"Bayonetta." His voice was harsh on his own ears, and he flinched at its sound. "What happened to her was my fault."

"What did you do to her?" The witch was beginning to stroke his hand with a thumb, trying to calm the man.

"I… I stabbed her, then cut her…" He was beginning to shake. "I enjoyed it…"

"What drove you to do that?" She asked gently, trying to not hit any of his nerves.

"I was bought to the future by a man." He began, his voice oddly calm. "He told me that a being named Loki had ordered the deaths of my clan, and then- and the-"

"It's ok." She stopped him before he broke. "You don't have to say it if you don't want to."

"No. I need to say it." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "He said they had you two tortured to death… That you both suffered for breaking their foolish tenets!"

"At least that is obviously false." She cracked a small smile, but he continued, unperturbed.

"He then told me that Loki had escaped to the future, to escape both me and him, where only he and two witches remained alive." He looked to the side and pulled his hand away from hers. "I planned revenge for too long, on a simple lie."

"It's not unfounded vengeance." She reached over and turned him back to face her. "If someone told me that you were murdered like that, I would've done the same thing."

"He offered me a way to make them suffer as much as I have." He pushed her away and refused to meet her eyes. "A curse upon my blade; whatever it touches, will never heal."

Rosa drew herself back at that. "What?!"

"Even if she can continue to live, Bayonetta will not live a good life." He buried his face in his hands. "I've forgotten my place and my tenets. I ruined everything for her, for what?!"

"It's ok." She pulled his hands down, and he saw her concerned face looking at his with a soft look. "You didn't know any better."

"I should've known better… I did know better! I'm not worthy." He shook his head and tried to push her away. "I'm not worthy of your forgiveness."

"Balder Onythyll!" She hissed sharply, and he flinched at her tone. "As your wife, I decide whether I want to feel sympathy, sadness, anger, whatever at your plight! And you are in no position to decide whether you are worthy of forgiveness! Now, do not think that you are not worthy, since you obviously regret all of it! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Rosa." He meekly replied, shame lacing his tone. Her look softened again, and she placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault. You were merely a pawn in someone's game. What is wrong, can be made right again." She turned and looked over at the stairs. "You do know her name isn't Bayonetta, right?"

"I know. She doesn't want to tell me, for some god forsaken reason." He followed her gaze. "She probably doesn't want to see me; you should check on her."

"I was planning to." She began to walk towards the stairs, then stopped and turned back to the Sage. "Make yourself useful and fix the running water. I do think we are going to need it."

"Right." He finally broke into a smile. "My love."

…

Rosa opened the door to her daughter's bedroom to find her propped up on the head of the bed, sleepily looking around, her face paler than normal.

"Oh, hello." Bayonetta greeted tiredly, looking over at the witch in black and red. "Who are-"

"There's no need to keep up the pretence, Cereza." She shook her head, small tears forming her eyes. "I know who you are, and you know who I am."

"Mummy…" Cereza began to cry, and Rosa wanted to run to her and comfort her. Instead, she held down the temptation and walked over and sat down on the bed, next to her. "It's…It's really you…?"

"My child, it is me." Rosa gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You've grown so much, and so beautifully."

Cereza opted to say nothing and buried her head into her mother's chest. Rosa smiled wistfully, resting her head atop her own, listening to her sobs with both a mixture of sadness and contentedness.

"I'm so proud of you, Cereza." She whispered. "You been such a brave girl, and you exceeded all of my expectations, even what I thought was possible."

"Do you-" She looked up with tears in her eyes, and she nodded in confirmation.

They stayed in an embrace for a couple of minutes, relishing in an opportunity both of them had never thought possible; the elder never imagining seeing her this old, and the younger never imagining to see her mother again, let alone feel her touch.

"Your father told me that you are both from the future." She felt her daughter stiffen underneath her, and she frowned slightly. "What wrong? Why haven't you told him who you are?"

"It's…" Cereza swallowed and reburied herself into her mother's chest. "Complicated."

"Complicated how? What could possibly make it complicated?" Her frowned deepened and her eyes widened. "This goes beyond him being lied to, doesn't it?"

Her daughter weakly pushed her back, and then grabbed her hands with her right. The lack of strength in her frightened Rosa, but she was careful not to let it show. "He hurt me, he hurt Jeanne, he hurt-"

"He hurt you?" She looked at her suspiciously. "He hurt Jeanne? How?"

"He wanted to…" She whispered, swallowing. "He wanted to make another child of light and dark, fulfil the prophecy and remake the universe in his own image. He made brother, and nearly succeeded."

"Brother? What? You are an only child!" Rosa recoiled in shock. "He cheated on me!?"

"No! He didn't!" She pleaded. "He changed someone else to share our DNA! Our blood!" She added, noting her confused look.

"He made someone your brother?" Her eyes widened at the realisation. "But…" She shook her head. "He knew the prophecy was false! Why would he need another child of light and dark?"

"The prophecy?" Cereza looked into space, puzzled. "Is false?"

"Yes. The calamity that was centred around you was just a lie." She nodded, then her look hardened "Why would he follow it if he knew it was just a trick?"

"He wanted to awaken Jubileus. It all was to awaken Jubileus" She answered, and Rosa stared dumbfoundedly at her. "He succeeded, but we stopped him."

"Hold up; the Creator, Jubileus, was reawakened in the future?" Rosa asked, her words tripping over each other. "How are you even still alive?!"

"I summoned Sheba." Rosa went slack jawed at those words. "And then brother destroyed the statue with Meteor."

"You summoned Sheba?! He summoned Meteor?!" Rosa tilted her head and stared intensely at her. "Where did you two get so much power?!"

"Spoilers for tomorrow." A red light appeared in her left eye, and Rosa went pale.

"You… our Left Eye…? But…"

"Jeanne will challenge me, as a means of sticking it to the Elder's." Cereza explained, and Rosa laughed briefly.

"Yeah, that's like her. And I take it you win?"

Cereza nodded, and then caught sight of something behind her. Her breath hitched, and Rosa recognised the presence as well.

"You are the Left Eye?" Balder asked, walking into the room, his voice full of awe.

"She is." Rosa had noted that she was now trembling slightly, and she figured that she didn't want to talk.

Balder awkwardly stepped to the other side of the bed, and gently took Cereza's hand. "I just want to apologise for everything I have done. I know it's meaningless, but I swear upon whatever is left on my honour to set this right." He kneeled, and Rosa's eyes widened at the intensity of the look in them. "I promise, Bayonetta, that you will not be the collateral damage to my mistakes."

Cereza was staring at him with a mixture of apprehension, fear and nervousness. Then she broke down, and tears began to flow from her eyes. Balder's eyes darted to hers, and she could see the panic within.

"I didn't say the wrong thing?" He asked, his voice strained. Rosa shook her head.

"I don't know what you have done, bu-" A touch from her daughter silenced her. Looking at her in surprise, she watched as she moved her good arm to atop Balder's own.

"I haven't had a family for five hundred years." She whispered. "I forget what it's like, sometimes…"

"I swear it." Balder's eyes hardened. "I swear I will make things right. On my honour, you will be shed of this accursed existence."

Rosa smiled at him, and then at Cereza.

They were a family again.

"Just, one question." Balder interrupted the happy silence. "What happens to the Umbra in the future?"

"What do you mean, what happens to th- oh, you did mention that there was only two of us left." Rosa looked down to Cereza. "Bayonetta, what happened to all of us?"

"You all die." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Every witch dies."

"What?" Rosa gasped. "Explain!"

"Impossible…" Balder was shaking his head. "The Umbra are strong, much stronger than the Sage's. How could they all die?"

"If anything, the time for whatever kills us all should be now." Rosa looked thoughtful. "Many of us are exhausted from the Clan Wars."

"The Clan Wars?" Balder looked to her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The Lumen Sage's attacked us two months ago, determined to kill our daughter, and all the Umbra who had supposedly 'betrayed' reality. They must have found out we were training her in secret." She explained. "We had no choice but to kill them all."

"There is always a choice, you could have spare-" Balder was silenced by the raise her hand.

"They were blood-lusted. Many of them did… unspeakable things to witches they captured." She turned away for a second. "Including blinding them and leaving them in cages to rot to death."

Balder went pale at that, and she could see the recognition in his eyes at her words. "That is not the Lumen way…"

"I know. Something got to them." She looked down, clenching her fist. "If there was any other way, we would've spared them. But the magic inside of them… we couldn't recognise it, let alone reverse it."

"Why are you so calm about this?" Cereza's voice finally reappeared. "You are going to die!"

"Some things are set in stone, Bayonetta." Rosa looked to her daughter and smiled gently. "If I must die, then I have accepted that it must happen." She then turned to Balder and smirked. "But it's not going to stop me from trying to defy fate again."

"Defy fate again?" Balder raised an eyebrow.

"Please, I-" Cereza was silenced by her finger on her lips.

"Just accept what the future holds for you, Bayonetta." Her eyes twinkled. "You'll find it a lot more exciting that way."

The Sage rolled his eyes at her and gave them both a look of apathy. "Come along, you need to show me how to fix this god-forsaken plumbing again."

"Oh, Balder." Rosa rose and gestured for him to do the same. "Remind me why I married a man so technologically inept?"

"I do quite well with Lumen advancements." He argued, a smile gracing his lips. "Your Umbran 'improvements' to this house are but a mystery to me."

…

The night flew without too many hitches. Bayonetta slept peacefully, whereas Balder and Rosa slaved away at a multitude of tasks, trying to bring the abandoned house back to a semblance of life. Whereas all plumbing related repairs had been left to the Witch, the Sage had his hands full of finding wood, vegetables and fruits, all for the morning.

"Blasted garden." Balder said as Rosa wiped her hands on her thighs, watching him with curiosity. "Why could we have not planted food?"

"We did plant apples and carrots." The witch mentioned, and the Sage glared at her for a second.

"Yes, and that is all we have." He gestured to the rows of wild and overgrown flowers around them. "Whose idea was it for roses?!"

"Yours."

"I doubt it." Balder huffed, but something grabbed his attention. "What is this?"

"The laurel mandragora plant." She frowned as they both crouched around the small green bush. "I don't remember ever planting this."

"What does a laurel plant do?" Balder asked, and then they both remembered what it was from the rudiments of concocting they had both done at the same time. Glancing to each other, they could both see the hope in each other's eyes.

"They heal wounds." Her eyes widened. "But I've only ever seen people work with extract from it, or the roots."

"These plants are very rare and are very potent." Balder nodded. "We might be able to do something for Bayonetta after all."

"You need a cauldron." Rosa stood up and began to walk towards the house. "You are far better at this than I am."

Grabbing seven leaves from the bush, he turned and ran into the house. "Forget the cauldron. We do not want to lose the majority of their healing power!"

"Right." She changed course. "Let's get some real bandages then."

…

"Now, there is no promise this will work." Rosa said as she unpeeled her hair from Bayonetta's forearm, revealing the ugly wound underneath. "But it's better than not having anything."

Bayonetta opted to stay silent as the leaves were placed onto the cut, hissing at the contact. "That's not a pleasant experience. Or fun."

"That means it's probably working." Rosa smiled, then her eyes grew devious. "So, daughter of mine…"

"Yes?" Bayonetta gave her mother a weird look.

"How… fertile is the future?" Her cheeks went crimson and Rosa began to laugh.

"My, my…" The elder witch kept on giggling. "You have been having some fun, haven't you?"

"Shut up."

"Aw, can't a mother get to know what her daughter has been up to?" She smirked. "I want to know whether you've been keeping the Umbran reputation."

"I stopped a year ago." She whispered. Rosa stopped laughing and gave her a questioning glance.

"You stopped? Don't tell me you became a nun and took a vow of chastity."

"No, I…" She swallowed, and her mother's eyes widened. "I met someone."

"You are married? Dating?" A pen and paper suddenly appeared in her hands, and she sat back. "Details!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Bayonetta pointed at her arm, and Rosa had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry." Grabbing the bandages and dropping the paper and pen, she began to wrap the cut, making sure the leaves stayed directly on the wound. "But still, details!"

"He's…" She hesitated. "He's everything I could've ever wanted, and more."

"How did you meet?" The undisguised pride in her mother's voice sent a strange warm feeling into her stomach.

"Oh… He announced that I had killed his father and that he was going to prove it." She looked sheepishly to the side.

"You killed a mortal?" Rosa's eyebrow rose, and Bayonetta was quick to shake her head.

"No!" Letting her clothing fade, she revealed the light cut on her stomach. "It was proven much later that f-Balder had killed him."

"Balder?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "What use could he have for killing a mortal? That's completely out of character for him, and I don't think an evil Balder would be that stupid to randomly kill people, especially mortals."

"One that knew his dark and dirty secrets." She answered. "One that was about to awaken the last witch and convince her to help him save thousands."

"Awaken the last witch…" She frowned. "You were asleep?"

"As a precaution, I sealed myself and the Eye away after the clan died out." She cursed as her mother began to apply the leaves to her shoulder. "For five hundred years, until I was awaken by this mortal, only to watch as Paradiso tore him apart for my f- Balder's thanks."

Rosa looked at her in astonishment. "You were suspended? For five hundred years?"

"Yeah." She swallowed, and her head became fuzzy. "I don't quite remember how, but I do know Jeanne was the one to do the deed, and then she wiped her own memory in order to keep my location hidden to him."

"I don't understand why he became evil." Rosa shook her head. "The Balder I know would never think to hurt his own daughter, let alone half of the stuff you are describing."

"I don't know! It could be something he had deep inside him, the whole time." She looked at her with wide eyes. "If that's who he really is, then I don't want him to be my father!"

"It seems we need to have a talk." Her mother said grimly. "Or that could wait until we either figure out something about why Balder went from a father to a raving lunatic, or we figure out why he has genocidal impulses."

…

Bayonetta watched as Balder performed a basic kata with his glaive, swinging it in slow twirls and slices against an imaginary opponent. Leaning against the doorway, she saw him finish with a flourish, and then bowed to the air.

"How long have you been watching?" His voice was calm and collected, but he did not turn to her.

"For at least five minutes." She admitted. "You are very good with that blade."

"This is but a mere fraction of my skill." He said, and she had to admit he was right. "As a Lumen Sage, I spent my lifetime practising and perfecting these skills, to the point where I was in contention to be the youngest bearer of the Right Eye."

"How young were you?" She asked, curious to learn more about her father.

"A ripe age of thirty-seven." He smirked as he finally glanced at her. "And I have carried the Eye for nearly one and a half thousand years."

"You're almost one and a half thousands years old?" She stared at him incredulously. "You look like you are only twenty-seven!"

"We do not age, Bayonetta." He turned to her. "You should know that."

"I do!" She put a hand on her face as she mentally kicked herself.

"Good." He looked at her, checking her wounds with a grave expression. "You are progressing well."

"Thank you." She looked at him with a smile.

"You really should not be up and about." He picked up his glaive and gestured to the door. "But if there is one thing I have learned about the Umbra, is that they are far too stubborn for their own good."

"That's how we are." She laughed but began to walk backwards towards the dining area. "Someone has to show some backbone here."

"I get enough of that from Rosa." He harrumphed good-naturedly. "Where is she?"

"She's fixing more of the plumbing and is supposed to go and report back to the Elder later today." She answered, then added quietly. "How did you two meet?"

"Me and Rosa?" He stopped in thought. "That is an interesting story."

"Are you willing to share it?" She pressed. Balder laughed and looked at her with a grin.

"Curious, are we not?" He joined her at the table, leaning his glaive against the wall. "I think I was just fourteen years old when I first saw her. The Sage's loved to give their trainees trials by fire, but I guess that was to harden you up to the realities of the job of dealing with demons or the odd angel. We were dispatched to repair a small tear in Purgatorio, one that lead to Inferno. The Umbra had also assembled a team, but we arrived first. The only things there were a couple of lower caste demons, and the rift was repaired easily enough."

"That doesn't sound like that was all that transpired." Bayonetta implied, and Balder nodded.

"An ancient demon tried to make a break for it. He was pure evil, and his presence in the world would certainly lead to its doom. We tried to fight it, but we were hopelessly out of our league. It killed my team, was about to kill me, and that was when the Umbra showed up." He replied, his voice reflecting his sadness. "I was critically injured, but I was still trying to incantate the rites to banish the foul creature. It was about to lay waste to me, until they showed up…"

"_No!" Balder screamed as the demon surfaced truly, Erik impaled on its fist. It noticed the small teenager standing in front of it, and it began to laugh. The other gathered trainees froze in fear, and the demon merely clicked its fingers and the ground itself reared to his command, forming spikes and stabbing each frozen Sage, killing them instantly. Balder threw himself to the ground as the spike behind him missed wildly, and he let a small calming spell ripple through him to keep his composure as he stood back up._

"Little boy._" It pointed at him. "_I am Malefagor, the incarnation of all that is wrong in this universe. Why don't you align yourself with me? I need a herald, and I can promise you far greater power than any angel could._"_

_Balder ignored him and reached into his tunic to grab his pendant of Jubileus. Closing his eyes, he began to chant, unperturbed by the fact he could die at literally any second._

"Foolish mortal._" His sealing spell was interrupted by a fist slamming into him, and then himself bouncing off a wall and then the ground. Crying out in pain, he felt that his arms were broken, and his left leg's shin was now protruding through his skin. "_You actually thought a pathetic sealing spell would work on me? I've never met a being so idiotic._"_

"_The power… and blessing of Jubileus… compels me…" He closed his eyes, blocking out the pain, and continued to chant. He could sense the demon walking towards him, and then he could feel it place a foot on his head. "I will… make… this right…"_

"Your resistance is noted and respected._" It laughed as it raised its leg. "_But ultimately futile._"_

_He prayed that Paradiso would find him worthy. He prayed that it found them all worthy._

_A war cry interrupted his thoughts, and the demons attempt to kill him. Opening his eyes in surprise, he saw a troupe of Umbra witches charging down the hill, strange weapons in their hands, and weaves flying into the demon in front him._

"Umbra Witches!_" The demon roared as it turned to face them, forgetting about the injured Sage trainee. "_You will not stop me!_"_

"_Distract it, or kill it." The leading witch cried out. "We cannot let it spread!"_

_Letting out a primal bellow, the demon lumbered forward, a sword of brimstone and hellfire hissing into its hands. One witch slid underneath its legs, and ran towards him. _

"_Little one!" The witch grinding to a halt in front of him, glancing over his body in concern. "Oh, thank the gods; you are still alive."_

"_Move…" He was feeling delirious from the pain, but Balder did not care. "I can fix this…"_

"_No you can't." The witch shook her head. "You're dying, for Sheba's sakes!"_

"_No…" He began to chant. "BALATA SONUF OD-"_

"_Stop!" The witch placed a hand on his mouth. "You are in no condition!"_

_He pushed her hand away, ignoring the agony in his arms. "-GAHLANA DOBITZA ALALARE-"_

_The demon had finally heard him and shoved away the witches. "_Cease your words, boy!_"_

"_-PUGO VEPE!" He gestured to the demon, and golden chains burst from the ground and wrapped themselves around it, throwing it and pinning it down to the ground._

"Impossible! You have no power over me!_" The demon screamed, trying to free itself from the chains. Balder's eyes narrowed, and he weakly gestured to the witches nearby._

"_Send it back…" His rolled back into his head as they nodded and the demon was promptly dropped back into inferno, and he fell into unconsciousness._

"I awoke in their care about four days later." He reminisced. "The witch who was with me had apparently stayed by my side, working overtime to heal me."

"Rosa?" Bayonetta asked.

"She was about sixty at the time." He smiled nostalgically. "She did not think of me more than a teenager who had just gotten lucky."

"So when did you two really meet?" She tried, but Balder shot her down with an annoyed look.

"That is private."

"Private?" Rosa piped up, walking down the stairs in her Umbran garb. "You do know that this is an open household, Balder."

"Some things are to remain for us to share." He folded his arms. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes. The Elder will expect something from me. I'll tell her the truth; that there is no threat here." She placed a hand onto his cheek. "I'll be back. I promise."

Balder's eyes softened. "Godspeed to you."

"I don't believe in your God." She laughed as she walked out. "And you know that!"

…

"Why did we get sent back?" Balder asked her as they sat by the fireplace. "To here, of all times?"

"The Prophet mentioned that it was something he had to do." She answered, sitting on the armchair perpendicular to how she was supposed to be, her legs hanging over one side. "And he also said that he was sending us here to die."

"That makes sense for you, since your friend wouldn't be able to rescue you." Balder reflected, taking note of how similar she was sitting to his daughter did. "But for me, that makes no sense."

"I guess." She looked into the fire, taking comfort in it. "He did say we could come back to my time."

"How?" He glanced to her, and his puzzlement grew at how sad she looked.

"If I forgive my father, we get to leave." She said in a small tone.

"Your father? What did he do?" He tilted his head. "Why can you not forgive him?"

"It's complicated!" She burst out to his surprise. "He hurt a lot of people I know, for little to no gain! And I don't even know why he did it!"

"Why do you think he did it?" He asked. "What was his end goal?"

"He wanted to reshape the universe into his own image." She answered, and he frowned.

"Oh…" He turned back to the fire. "That will probably sour your opinion of him."

"He killed thousands." She said, staring at the ceiling. "Murdered anyone who tried to stop him, then laid waste to an entire city to summon Jubileus."

"He did what?!" Balder stared at her incredulously. "That is…"

"Impossible? I know." She went silent. "I wish it was."

"If I ever meet this person." Balder's voice showed his anger, and she peered at him curiously. "I swear, I will kill him."

"I would like to see you try."

…

"Good news, everyone." Rosa returned through the front door the next morning with a smile. Balder paused in his cleaning and waited for her to continue. Bayonetta looked up from her breakfast and watched her expectantly.

"I have reported that no one was here." She grinned. "However, the Elder expects me to continue scouting the area for the signs of you, so I guess I'm here to stay."

"That is a welcome turn of events." Balder turned back to his task at hand.

"Also, congratulations." She smiled down at her, and Bayonetta frowned.

"For what?" She asked slowly, confused.

"You battled for the Eye last night." Rosa offhandedly mentioned, and she went pale. Her wooden spoon fell from her hand.

"What?" Rosa frowned. Bayonetta began to shake, and her mother dropped down and grabbed he hand. "Bayonetta, what's wrong?"

A huge rumble shook the house. Balder dropped the broom and ran outside. Rosa glanced to the sky, then back to her daughter.

Her tear-filled face looked back at hers. "This is the day, Mummy."

Rosa's face went pale.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Balder's sharp voice carried into the room as he burst back inside, grabbing his coat and glaive. "Bayonetta, what is going on?"

"What's outside?" The elder witch rose, Unforgiven snapping into her hand.

"Resplendence." Balder answered grimly. "A legion of them, descending upon the Crescent Valley. The Umbra stand no chance."

"Not if we don't do anything about it." Rosa raised her chin.

"I was about to suggest the same thing." He nodded, then turned to the witch at the table. "Are you coming, Bayonetta?"

Bayonetta stared down at the table, frozen at his words. Fight with her family, side by side? That was something she had dreamed about as a child.

And she had an opportunity to change history.

Making her decision, she felt the familiar weight of Scarborough Fair drop into her hands, and then the new weight of Love is Blue on her feet. Her hair wrapped around her body as she stood up, her eyes burning.

"Let's go and kick some angel ass."


	15. Chapter 14: The Witch Hunts

_Author's Note: I do not own any part of Bayonetta._

The Witch Hunts

The trio ran, each in their respective beast within forms; a wolf, a panther and a tiger, all sprinting back to the confines of the Crescent Valley. The streets and wilderness of Vigrid was but a blur to the three of them, each only focussing on the end goal.

"We must hurry!" Rosa began to push herself harder, her form going to its very limits. Balder threw off the constraints of his wolf-form and began to propel himself with the power of light and time. Bayonetta kept pace with her mother, keeping in stride with her.

They burst into a clearing, watching abject horror as thousands of Angels poured from the skies, the thin line of witches firing with almost futile effort.

"It's going to be a slaughter…" The elder witch whispered as the they came to a stop. Bayonetta grimly stared at the sky as a Resplendence passed over them.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Balder replied, then stepped forward, placing his glaive into the ground and started the bellow in Enochian. "_ANGELS! LAGUNA OF PARADISO!_"

The flight stopped in confusion, staring at the Sage who summoned them with suspicion. The assembled witches looked over to the trio, whispers of surprise, shock and confusion spreading throughout them.

"_Stand down, and cease this!_" Balder implored to the heavens, and the Affinities looked to each other, chittering. "_You will gain nothing from this slaughter!_"

"_Ahh…" _Bayonetta froze at the familiar voice. "_The imposter has been sighted."_

"Fortitudo!" Balder roared. "What is this madness? I am the last of the Lumen Sages! You must obey me!"

"_The Lumen Father warned us of an imposter bearing the Lumen name._" The twin-headed angel dragon floated up into view, hovering beside the cliff. "_The Light must not be allowed to be banished, or subjugated by the darkness._"

"Subjugated?" Balder gestured around incredulously. "How?"

"Stop." Bayonetta stepped forward, her eye glowing red. "Something isn't right."

"_I have been awakened to many truths, witch._" Fortitudo turned to her, smirking slightly. "_You must realize, Overseer, is that the trinity of realms belongs to Jubileus, the Creator._"

"The trinities belong to no one." Rosa stepped forward, pulling Bayonetta back. The younger witch looked at her in surprise and started to object, but the elder witch raised a hand. "Don't, Bayonetta. This is not your fight."

"But-" She protested, but she was cut off.

"The trainees need someone to keep them safe!" Rosa hissed. "Bayonetta! You must protect them!"

Her eyes softened at the realisation. "I will."

"_You dare turn your blade against me?_" Fortitudo retook their attention as Balder had resummoned his glaive to his hand. "_Against an Auditio?_"

"You have forgotten your place." The Sage snarled as Rosa took to his left. "We will stop you!"

Fortitudo roared as he launched its heads forward, trying to bite the couple. They both dodged in opposite directions, letting the Auditio slam into the ground. Bayonetta had turned and sprinted towards the line of witches, Scarborough Fair blazing. The Affinities screeched, returning to their assault.

"Stay together!" Bayonetta called out, trying to rally the defence. "We cannot let them break through!"

The witches behind her began to shout encouragement to one another, as they sent hails of bullets into the sky, taking down the angels by the hundreds.

But it wasn't enough. For each angel that fell from the sky, another one took its place with ten more behind it.

Turning her attention to her parents, she found them both fighting back to back, blocking and throwing back punches and glaive swipes at the angel. Rosa was playing defensive, dodging and repelling attacks from the Auditio. Balder was clearly the aggressor, not caring for himself as he abandoned any form of defence, opting only for attacks that left his wide open. They worked as a team, their styles complimenting and directly supporting each other.

"DROWN!" A giant fist crashed down onto the head of Fortitudo, causing it to roar in pain. Bayonetta's eyes widened at the weave; she recognised that hand. Another appeared and slammed into the main head, stunning it in place. Balder clicked his fingers and slammed his glaive down with a group of fireballs, throwing the right head into the left.

"Now, Rosa!" Golden light surrounded Balder as he slammed his glaive into the neck of the left head, pinning it down. Raising his hand to the sky, he summoned golden chains out of the ground and pulled them onto the stunned Angel, trapping it in place.

"Are you kidding? Killing it will allow it to reform!" Rosa jumped back to the Sage. "You know that!"

"Then we will seal it." Balder's eyes began to glow gold. "You must keep it still."

"With pleasure." Rosa smiled, then began move sensually, her arms waving specific patterns that Bayonetta recognised. "PDEE BARMA!"

Madama Khepri rose up behind the Angel, her arms encircling and holding the colossal angel down. Several angels screamed and diverted from the lines and dove down towards the pair. Sprinting back over, Bayonetta threw weaves by the dozen as she stood between the Laguna and the pair.

"I seal you, Fortitudo!" A giant Lumen symbol appeared beneath the grounded Auditio. "You will never leave, unless this seal is broken by the union of light and dark! You are banished from the three realities, never to return in this lifetime!" Balder glowed brightly, and then the angel began to sink.

"_No! You cannot! The heavens need the-_" Fortitudo was silenced as he sunk into the ground fully, out of sight and the battle. The witches cheered, and the angels screamed in terror.

"The heavens do not need the Auditio." Balder snarled as he returned to his normal brightness. "That is something I have learned."

Madama Khepri patted the area where the Auditio had sunk, then looked to the trio. Tilting her head, she smiled and gave them all a wink. The she faded as Rosa's hair returned to her body.

"This victory may be the first, but it is certainly not the last." Rosa called out to the assembled witches. "We will be overrun soon. Gather at the clocktower!" She pointed up to the large building in the distance, the symbol of the Umbra. "We must defend it with all of our strength!"

They nodded and began to move out. Balder smirked at his wife, and Bayonetta looked at her in awe.

"What?" She asked innocently, then shook her head. "This is what I was trained to do. Now let's go!"

…

They entered the city itself, noting the ruins that greeted them.

"We can't stop." Rosa ignored the death and destruction ahead of them. She glanced back to the assembled Umbra and pointed to the left. "You there! Take the trainees through the tunnels and out of here! If we can't hold them, at least they could revive the Umbra at a later time."

"Understood." The witch nodded, then began to run to the right with the trainees following behind. Bayonetta stepped towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Rosa?" She asked, and the elder witch pushed her off, the pain evident in her eyes.

"We can't dwell." Rosa shook her head. "We need to keep moving."

The trio continued through the town until an explosion of rubble heralded their next obstacle.

"_Umbra Witch!_" Sapientia slammed into the ground, blocking the path through Vigrid. "_False Sage! Stand down, or die_"

"Oh, it's you." Bayonetta snarled, jumping up and letting her wings snap out, guns held at the ready. "Stupid Auditio."

Her glare quickly fell off as her mother jumped onto a nearby roof, her voice calling out cleanly. "AR AR TIO!"

A set of six arms reached out from behind the angel, grabbing onto it and pulling it out of the way, the Auditio roaring rebelliously against its grip.

"Bayonetta! To me!" Balder gestured to her as he ran through the now open space. Letting the wings fade away, she dropped down and ran to her father's side.

"That's two of the damn things." She cursed as they passed underneath the Auditio. "Where are the others?"

"Knowing them, Iustitia and Temperentia are waiting in Paradiso." He answered as Hekatoncheir retreated back into Inferno, and Rosa ran in from the side. "Either to steal the glory at the end, or as a way of finishing us all."

"Angels being cowardly?" Rosa laughed as she caught up. "What? The sky is blue?"

"I wouldn't be too cheerful." Balder looked ahead as a giant portal to Paradiso opened. Three tentacled flower hands reached out, and then Iustitia floated down. Both Bayonetta and Rosa gagged at the sight of the monstrous Auditio, and Balder curled his lip in disgust.

"Never liked this Auditio anyway." He muttered and prepared to fight it, his glaive held by his side. Rosa and Bayonetta both prepared themselves for a fight, both wondering how they were supposed to fight an enemy that was starting to tear up the town itself, each tentacle grabbing onto a building and throwing it towards them.

Several blasts of energy destroyed the flying masonry well before it hit them. Stunned, all three turned to see a fleet of what Bayonetta could describe only as mechanical suits flying in towards the Auditio, guns blazing.

"What in the blazes are those?" Balder looked up at the mechs with confusion.

"Umbra Battle Armour." Rosa smiled with hope at the sky as the Auditio gurgled as the dozens of mechs engaged it. "An old experiment of our engineers, revisited after the clan wars. They can each engage most first sphere seraphim without troubles; a team of them should be able to take down an Auditio, and seal it away forever."

"I do not want to stay and find out." Balder gestured onwards. "Let's keep moving! We are halfway to the clocktower!"

"We cannot stop now!" Rosa nodded and began to sprint, Bayonetta and Balder at her heels.

…

"There's too many of them!" Rosa screamed as they battled their way through the hordes of Affinities, Applauds and Beloveds. "We will never reach it!"

"_ZIRACAH!_" Two draconic heads slammed into the ground, knocking several angels flying and freeing a path for Balder to advance further. "We must keep moving!"

Bayonetta transformed into a panther and dashed through, finally reaching the clearing before the clocktower. Behind her, hundreds of Umbra were fighting for their lives, and in the background she could see Sapentia beginning to advance upon the citadel proper.

_The end is near…_ She thought to herself, her heart beginning to quicken. _But when does mummy die?_

"_Umbra Witches!_" An all too familiar voice roared. "_Give up and submit to the Laguna!_"

"Temperantia!" Balder roared as he broke into the clearing, his glaive twirling back into his hand like a boomerang. "Stop this madness!"

"_The glory of Jubileus will not be stopped!_" The colossal Auditio rose into view, staring down with utter contempt at the pair. "_You will die like the rest of them._"

Rosa broke through as well, running towards the pair. "Balder! Bayonetta! We need to help them!"

"No." Bayonetta stared at the Auditio with hatred. "I will stop him."

"Yourself!?" Balder looked at her in shock. "Bayonetta, you are injured!"

"He and I have a score to settle." She began to approach the edge of the cliff. Balder and Rosa stared at her, then turned to start fighting with the Umbra behind them.

"_You…_" Temperentia frowned. "_Where have I earned your ire, mortal?_"

"You will learn it!" Bayonetta began to lay a hail fire of bullets at it's face. Temperentia roared in anger, and drew its fist back in a punch. It threw the punch at her, and she jumped over and up and onto its arm. Transforming into a panther again, she activated witch walk and ran up its arm, aiming for the joint.

Arriving at it, she transformed out of the panther with a slash, attacking the energy that held the arm onto the torso. Temperentia roared in pain, summoning small wind elementals to try and knock her off. Simply sidestepping them, she sent a weave into the main ring, knocking it out of alignment.

"AFAA TADAAG NEPTA!" Her hair flew from her body, revealing the three bandages on her body to the world to see.

Hekatonchier appeared behind the Auditio, and one arm grabbed its head. Growling, it shook the demon off, then screamed in pain as another fist slammed into its stomach. Two arms grabbed the torso, another two grabbed the arm, and then the arm was flying off the cliff behind them, Bayonetta jumping gracefully back to the ground. She stared at the angel with a fierce look, whilst her parents looked on in surprise and approval.

"_Foolish witch!_" Temperantia roared in pain, then drew its other fist back. "_Now your resolve shall crumble!_"

It smashed into the clocktower, destroying it in one hit. The Umbra screamed at the sight of their symbol crumbling, and Rosa collapsed to her knees. Temperentia laughed at their despair, then his figure rippled as he floated back into Paradiso, out of sight and out of mind.

"No…" She whispered. "No!"

Bayonetta heard the screams of the Umbra as they were cut down as they stood there in shock. Balder noticed and grabbed his wife and pulled her up.

"Rosa! We must go!" He nodded to Bayonetta, who grabbed onto them both. Running from the angels who were now advancing on the three surviving humans she tossed them over the edge. Falling as a trio, focussing on dodging the pieces of debris filling the sky in front of them. Aiming for the Umbran Training Grounds beneath them, they tried to forget what had happened.

…

The three landed on a familiar stretch of ground, each for differing reasons.

For one of them, it was littered with corpses. For another, it was as she remembered it, but from a different angle. For the last, it was the familiarity of each body that shook her being to its core.

"So much death…" Rosa swallowed. "This…"

"I know." Balder placed a hand on her shoulder. "This sickens me more than the slaughter that underwent in the Sunrise Valley; at least you had a reason to make sure we were all dead. This… This is just senseless genocide."

Bayonetta walked forward, seeing a familiar sight ahead of her. _This is where it ends. This is where she dies._

She frowned as Rosa bent over and checked a dead trainee. _But how? I always assumed she had fallen in battle; the fighting has finished. What is left to kill her?_

"R-rosa?" One of the trainees weakly reached out, and the Elder witch grabbed onto her.

"It's going to be alright; may Sheba guide you." She placed her fingers on her lips, and placed them onto the dying witch's head. "You deserved better, far better than what happened. I am sorry…"

The trainee went limp, and Rosa bowed her head in sorrow. Balder turned from the scene to see the younger witch looking at an empty spot among the witches with intensity.

"Bayonetta?" He called out, and she turned to him in surprise. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's just…" She spared a glance at the spot once more. "It's nothing."

"We need to move." Rosa had stood back up. "The Sage's forces will convene on us, and then we will die."

"It is far too late for that, my dear."

The trio turned to see a small boy and a masked Lumen Sage walking towards them. Both Bayonetta and Balder recognised the child and gasped in astonishment.

"L-Loki?" Bayonetta drew out her guns but didn't train them on anyone.

"You?!" Balder also drew out his glaive. "How-"

"Oh, please." 'Loki' stopped and put a hand on his head. "Can… we just not? For once. Can we just not."

Bayonetta frowned as her Eye whispered to her. "Who are you?"

"Perceptive." The boy put his hands in his pockets and stared at her coolly. "They don't call you the Left Eye for nothing."

"You are the Prophet." Balder finally recognised him. "The one I have been working with, all this time."

"Bingo." He pointed a finger cockily at the Sage, then turned to his companion briefly. "I do see that you are correct, mate, somewhat. However, my name is not the Prophet, Prophetic One or whatever they have been calling me now in your time."

"Loptr." The voice from the masked lumen was distorted, and neither witch or the sage could recognise it. "That's enough."

"Oh, sorry." Loptr turned and waved at the trio. "Well, I have to run. It was nice meeting you all, but I have an invasion to run. Toodeloo!"

He turned and ran, both Bayonetta and Balder making to give chase, only to be thwarted by the Sage stepping between them, holding a hand out.

"You!" Rosa stepped forward, pointing an Unforgiven at him. "Are you responsible for this?"

"Perhaps." His voice was laced with amusement, and it infuriated the Witch.

"Why." She continued forward. "Why did you do this?!"

"It was destiny." He replied, boredom creeping into his tone. "I had to do it."

"You had to?" Balder strode forward. "My Lumen Brother, no one forced you to slaughter thousands!"

The Sage began to laugh. Deep, almost infectious laughter. Rosa growled and shot a hail of bullets, but a small puff of blue smoke teleported him behind the trio, where he continued to laugh harder and harder.

"My, my…" He gestured to the Sage. "If only you knew the truth, Father Balder."

"I am no Father." Balder glared back at the masked man. "I have not earned that title, and I never will!"

"Are you sure about that? As the last living Sage, you are the de facto leader of the Lumen." The Sage shook his head. "Stupid Balder…"

"The last living Sage?" Bayonetta tilted her head, her suspicions beginning to grow. "Unless I am seeing double, there are two Sage's here, and they both do not look alike."

"Ha!" The Sage looked to her. "Wouldn't you like to know, Bayonetta?"

"Who are you?" Rosa demanded, standing next to her daughter, her eyes ablaze.

"Maybe this will jog the memory a bit," He ignored the Elder witch and stared at the Overseer of Darkness. "My dear, sweet child."

"No…" Bayonetta stepped back, her face pale.

"Enough games!" Balder ran forward, his glaive twirling into a downwards strike. Sighing, the Masked Lumen simply teleported behind him and walked away, letting Balder trip over his own swing.

"I guess a reveal is in order." The Masked Lumen gestured out as Balder turned around, seething. Reaching up, he pulled off his mask and threw his hood off. Rosa screamed and fell down, Balder cursed stared in utter confusion and Bayonetta stood there in shock.

"Well." Balder smiled. "I guess I do have your attention now."

"But-" Rosa kept glancing at the Balder on the floor and the Balder standing up, almost hyperventilating. "How?!"

"You aren't Balder." Bayonetta stepped forward, her Left Eye visibly red. "You are just using his body."

"They really don't call you the Left Eye for nothing." He looked impressed, then his face went serious. "You see, in the future… Fuck it, I'm going to spoil this whole story and say that you beat me. Lord Aesir, at the height of his powers, defeated by a powerless Loki and two pathetic mortals pretending to be Overseers; what a pathetic end to a God like me. I tried to escape to the past, and you nobly took my spirit in to prevent me from achieving my goals. But my will proved stronger, and now look at me; the mind of Loptr, the power of a Sage, and one of the Eyes of the World within my grasp again."

"I will defeat you in the future." Bayonetta's eyes blazed. "That's already certain!"

"Is it?" Loptr-Balder's eyes twinkled. "Is the future truly set in stone?"

"What have you done?" Balder stood up, his glaive pointing at the possessed man. "Explain yourself!"

"At the beginning of time, Aesir split himself into two, in order to give humanity a choice. Because we pitied them." He spat out. "Within a thousand years, you were all dead due to infighting and selfishness. Me and my 'better' half realised the future could not become this bleak, so we agreed to go back in time and change the past in order to affect the future."

"We tried for thousands of generations, to no avail." Loptr-Balder shook his head, kicking a corpse in anger. "Then I realised the problem; it was Loki. He was the one who guided humanity to their own self-destruction by sitting there and leaving them to their own devices, because 'humans should be allowed their precious free will'. He was content with just letting the die change, not the stakes. So one day, I murdered him before we were about to return to the past, stole his power, took his Eye from the ashes of civilization and began to shape humanity into what it should become; my willing pawns."

"But something wasn't right." He turned and began to pace, erratically waving his arms. "Something was missing. A utopia, you see, is boring. Nothing fun ever happens in one. So I remade Loki using the Left Eye of Darkness, and sent him to the future. Then I returned to the past, and began to whisper to the mortals about never letting light and dark intersect, a complete fabrication, and then gifted the Eyes to them."

"Oh, it was glorious. All it took was a slutty witch and an idiotic man to make love one night, and conceive a child." Rosa squirmed at the name, and Balder's incensed stared grew. "Then they slaughtered each other! What a joyous occasion, I reflected. Then I realised the idiotic Sage was still alive, and two witches had managed to escape unscathed, both of my eyes within their grasp, and both did not want to give up their power, especially me. So I bided my time until the year turned to the one that Loki had been sent to. Then I summoned you, Balder, displacing you through time so I could get your Eye and Bayonetta's as well, so I could repeat my little experiment with the Umbra and Lumen. I wanted to know how I could make my perfect beings tick. I wanted to see them explode."

"You did this all for a-" A gag appeared around Bayonetta's mouth, and Loptr-Balder stared at her in disgust.

"Quiet, the adults are talking." He turned away from her as she struggled with the cloth. "But then you defeated me with the help of Loki, your little victory came to pass and I was transported back here, to the start of the Clan Wars inside a new and fresh vessel. I began to plan my revenge, helping the Umbra discretely until they had annihilated them, and then waited for Fortitudo to take the bait of 'gallant' revenge to spark up a witch hunt, with me posing as my host to lead the charge. And that's when it all began to fall apart. I was in this loop, my incarnations making the same mistakes over and over again, of failing to reclaim the Eyes, failing to escape to the past to retry and failing to summon Jubileus to reset the universe so I could get my Eyes back by force. But then I had an epiphany."

"I ran into myself, and we discussed what had failed, and what had succeeded. So we began to change. Each iteration, I met up with my younger self, telling him everything I knew about the cycle I had undergone. Then that incarnation of me would try to awaken Jubileus, and be stopped by you. The next would make a small change, enough to try and change the tide of that final battle so I would be victorious. And it has never happened yet." He stopped and held his hands out to the sky as the moon began to rise. "All it takes is patience. I will succeed eventually, whether it be through the Jubileus plot, or my original plan of regaining the Eyes. What is made, will be mine once again!"

The three stared at the possessed Sage with determination and shock.

"I don't believe you mean those things." Rosa shook her head. "I think you are lying to yourself."

"My resolve has never been more certain, Umbra Witch." Loptr turned and regarded the elder witch. "You cannot change it."

"This isn't you." She stepped forward. "Balder, this isn't the man I love."

"M-Rosa!" Bayonetta had finally pulled the gag off. "No!"

"I know there is still good in you." She was ten metres from the mad Sage, and about seven from where she died. "I can feel it. I can sense it."

"Balder is dead." Loptr grinned cruelly. "He has submitted to his proper place."

Rosa walked up to him, her hands held out in a peaceful gesture. "You have to fight it, Balder! Fight the corruption within you!"

"Your words are meaningless, witch." Loptr-Balder smiled. "He is in a place where you can no longer reach him."

"There is always good in someone." She was three metres from him now. "All you have to do is look and see."

"What good is good when it isn't enough to fix anything?!" He snarled. "All playing the hero has ever got me was a dose of reality; humanity cannot be trusted with its own progression!"

"Rosa! Get back!" Balder cried out, but his wife turned and smiled at him.

"It's ok, Balder." She turned back and reached out to Loptr-Balder, taking one of his hands. "He won't hurt me."

Bayonetta saw something flicker in the possessed man's eyes, and hope began to flicker in her heart.

It was almost as if it was recognition.

"You can fight it, Balder." She whispered. "I believe in you; I believe in our love."

"I-" The man's tone had changed, and pain was beginning to form on his features. "R-"

"You can do it!" Her other hand enclosed his from the top. "Balder! My love! Please! Come back to me!"

"Rosa?" His eyes went wide, and began darting around in fear. "Rosa?!"

"It's me, Balder!" She held his hand up, her mouth breaking into a grin. "You're back!"

"You need to leave!" He was staring at her in horror. "You have to run! Just run! Anywhere!"

"Why? You're back?" Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "It's going to be ok!"

"I'm not in control, Rosa!" He was pushing her away, his eyes wide. "He let me back! It's only a ma-"

His face went slack, then neutral. "I have made my choice."

What happened next would never leave Bayonetta's memory.

His glaive appeared, its blade materialising in her stomach. Her mother gasped in pain, then began to gurgle as blood filled her lungs. His other hand pulled it into two and twirled the free half into her legs, slicing them cleanly off at the knees. The sudden shift of weight sent her to fall downwards and push the blade through her body further. Bones cracked and snapped, organs burst and were sliced and Rosa fell from the blade and to the floor, shock, pain and hurt on her features.

"ROSA!" Balder screamed in pure agony, his glaive appearing in his hands and he jumped forward, raising it into the air with the intent on murdering the parallel version of himself. Loptr-Balder looked up at him, smirked and then disappeared with a puff of blue smoke.

Bayonetta stood there in shock. Everything was muted; the only sound was the beating of her heart in her head. She felt… She felt…

Sick.

Her own father was forced to kill her mother, against his will. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to see it. But it was burned in her memory, forever.

"Rosa, no, no…" Balder had both landed and ran to his wife, grabbing onto her hand. "Rosa…"

Her eyes flittered open weakly. "Is this… how it ends?"

"No, I swear, I swear you will see another sunrise!" His hands glowed with green energy as he tried to heal her. "You will not die, Rosa! I sw-"

"Stop. Don't waste your energy." Her other hand reached up to touch his face. "It's ok… Balder, it's ok…"

"It is not ok!" He whispered, his voice beginning to crumble. "I just found you…"

"Balder…" She coughed, and blood dribbled from her mouth. "If you find Cereza again, promise me…"

"We will both find our daughter again!" He grabbed her other hand. "We will be reunited! A family that has-"

"It's my time, Balder." She smiled weakly. "Promise me… that you will protect her… until the end of the universe…"

"I will not let anyone harm her." His eyes were beginning to fill with tears as the reality of the situation came crashing down on him finally. "Rosa, please… I need you…"

"Good, now go." She coughed again. "You need to find her."

"We are going to find her." He snarled. "None of this negativity; you will not die today, I swe-"

"Bayonetta." She interrupted him and gestured to the witch behind him, still standing there is shock. "Promise me… that you will uphold the Umbran name?"

"I will…" Tears began to flow from her eyes as she walked towards the pair, her feelings, her vision, her mind all numb. "M-Rosa, I'm sorry. Sorry for everything…"

"No, please, no…" Balder tightened his grip as hers began to loosen. "Rosa, no!"

"Bayonetta…" She coughed. "It's going to be… ok… look after Balder…"

"You will come with us. I swear!" He was shaking now, tears visibly on his cheeks. "Rosa, my love…"

"Balder…" Rosa smiled weakly. "You are… my love… don't forget it…"

"Please…" He was sobbing. "I cannot live. Not without you."

"Father." Bayonetta said quietly to herself. Both of her parents, however, heard her and looked up; Balder in confusion and Rosa in surprise. "I forgive you."

Rosa's eyes widened as a blue portal opened behind them and began to pull them both in. Balder looked at the witch in shock, then turned himself back to Rosa, resisting the pull for as long as he possibly could.

"I am sorry, Rosa." He leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead. "I'm sorry for everything."

"You… dummy... I couldn't have asked… for a better life…" She placed a hand over the back of his neck and pulled him down for a weak, but lingering kiss. "Don't spoil… this ending."

Balder was then flung back, the forces of the Remembrance of Time finally overwhelming him. Screaming her name, he reached out to his wife as he flew through the portal, and then was silenced as he passed through. Bayonetta stared at her mother with dead eyes, and her mother smiled at her.

"You've made me proud, my daughter." She nodded at her. "I love you."

"Goodbye, mummy." She whispered as she too was flung back, tears spilling down her cheeks in a waterfall, then disappearing from sight as she passed through the portal as well. "I love you too."

Rosa let out a breath as the portal closed, and all was silent. Closing her eyes, she felt Khepri's presence beginning to fill her mind as her body began to slowly shut down.

"Mummy!?" A familiar voice broke her out of death, and she sighed. Opening her eyes, she saw her daughter's face staring down at her.

Her daughter's. Not one from the future.

"Mummy, no!"


	16. Chapter 15: The Ascendant One

_Author's Note: I own nothing from Bayonetta._

Chapter 15: The Ascendant One

Bayonetta opened her heavy eyes to see a crying man in front of her; a Sage on his hands and knees, sobbing for all to see and hear. Her heart broke at the image of her father; a man who had realised the truth she didn't want him to see, and now he was suffering from it. Walking forward, her heels clicking on the pavement, she knelt beside him, trying hard to keep her own composure from spilling.

"Balder…" She whispered, and he ignored her, still facing down towards the cement. "I'm so sorry… so sorry…"

"Did you know?" He asked, his voice trying to fight the emotions he was feeling. A small sliver of memory passed through her, and she began to feel pity for him.

"…_a Sage is beholden to neither bias or emotion in their judgement, and seeks the supposed tranquillity of the balance between them all. In other words, they try extremely hard to be emotionless…_"

She didn't answer. She was still trying to wrap her head around the situation, and how she was supposed to be feeling.

"Bayonetta, did you know?!" He looked to her, his eyes red, aching and full of despair. "Did you know that I… I killed her…?"

"I only knew that she died. I didn't know how, or when." She replied truthfully. "I-"

"Don't." His hands began to dig into the ground, cracks forming in the concrete. "It's my fault."

"Balder!" She lifted him up, making him face her. "It is not your fault!"

"I was weak, and I let Loptr take my mind over." He was staring at her with dull eyes. "I let her die. I killed her!"

"No!" She wrapped her arms around him and hugged her father for the first time in years. "No, Balder, you didn't! Loptr did!"

His head dropped onto her shoulder as he finally began to cry. Bayonetta took this opportunity to look at her surroundings, and a sinking feeling filled her stomach as she began to recognise where she was.

But that was not important now. Her father was hurting, and she needed to be there for him.

"Balder…" She spoke as he finally let go of her. "We aren't in my time. Not yet."

"What do you mean?" He frowned, his voice slowly returning to its normal tone. "Why would we not be back in our time, and in Inferno?"

"Because…" Her mind raced for a possible explanation, then her eyes closed at the unfairness of it all as she realised. "He got to Damien."

"Him? The false Lumen Sage?" Balder frowned, wiping the tears off his face with his sleeve. "Who is that, really?"

"Someone who is special to me." She answered. "And someone Loptr doesn't want against him, I'd wager."

"Why does he hate me so much?" He asked as he stood up, his white robes dirtied with blood and grime. "I do not even know who he is!"

"If we are where I think we are, then you will find out." She began to walk down a familiar alleyway, her hands trailing along the walls. "Follow me."

"As you wish." The Sage looked over at the walls with apprehension, and his eyes narrowed. "This place is far too technologically advanced to be close to my time."

"Because it isn't." Bayonetta answered as she walked down a street that she and Jeanne had torn up a year ago. "This is…"

She trailed off, her voice falling as she looked up at the sight in front of her. The pair found themselves at the base of an impossibly tall building. Balder raised an eyebrow at the architecture, sensing the familiarity of it.

"These statues are not dissimilar to the ones we have in Sunrise Valley. Or at least used to have." He commented, laying a hand on a statue of a Fairness, still trying to bury his grief with a distraction. "Where are we, anyway?"

Bayonetta didn't answer. The Sage turned back to her and found her staring up at the building with fear and apprehension. "Bayonetta?"

"This is Isla Del Sol, and about five hundred years in the future. I'm not sure when exactly." She finally said, swallowing. "And this… this is the base of the Ithavoll computer company building."

"What is so important about that? And what is Isla Del Sol?" Balder turned back to the building, studying it. "A… com-pu-ter… company cannot be that important in the passage of time. Especially to Damien!"

Bayonetta turned to him and gave him a pointed look. "Isla Del Sol was a manmade island for the wealthy and powerful of Europe, and for the whims of specifically one man. You would be surprised at what happens behind closed doors."

"Who?" The Sage glanced back at her, only to find her walking towards the building. Pushing open the doors, she walked in, Balder trailing behind her. She stopped in the lobby, looking around as if she was trying to find something. The secretary looked up and gave them a weird look, glancing at them in confusion and wariness.

"Hi, how may I help you?" She asked, professionally not voicing her confusion. Balder grimaced and gestured to his companion, who had seemingly found something.

"Bingo!" Bayonetta exclaimed. "If I were to put a secret entrance anywhere, I'd put it there."

The secretary gave them yet another look of confusion. "I can assure you that there are no secret entrances here. Now, how can I help you?"

Balder frowned. "That is exactly what I would say if I were hiding a secret entrance." He turned to Bayonetta. "Shall we go then?"

"I am the leader here, Balder. We shall go." Opening a portal to Purgatorio, the pair stepped through. The secretary sat there, dumbfounded. She pressed a button and activated the intercom.

"Father? We have a situation…"

…

"How did you find it, really?" Balder asked as Bayonetta pulled on the curtain, revealing a door. She winked back at him, then returned her attention to the door.

"A true lady never gives away her secrets." She reached down and pulled on the handle.

The door was locked, as she quickly found out. Frowning at it, she gave the door a swift kick and broke it down, ignoring the sigh of frustration from Balder at her antics. The pair walked into a white, sterile hallway, a sudden contrast from the beige's and golds of the lobby.

"Laboratory seven." Balder translated the Enochian plaque, frowning at it. "Why would this company need a laboratory, let alone seven?"

Bayonetta didn't answer. She looked ahead, scouting out the numerous doors. Walking forward, she arrived at the closest one and opened it. What she saw caused her to scream and dry heave against the wall.

"ROSA!" Balder shoved her to the side and ran into the room. His dead wife and lover were in a tank, floating around in a perversion of calm. Several chunks of her flesh were missing, and tubes leading from everywhere on her body, pumping liquids into and out of it. He turned back to the witch in a flash.

"Why is she in here!" He thundered. Bayonetta merely stared at the tube with tears in her eyes. "WHY!?"

She began to shake. She remembered that Damien had mentioned that Rosa was here, and that Jeanne had said she had freed her before the building went to hell. That was her Mummy, desecrated and abused because of Loptr's vision. Balder noticed her reaction, and his rage grew.

"Tell me now, Umbra Witch." He was glaring at her, his anger barely held back. "What is she doing in there!?"

"Loptr had a vision…" She swallowed and began to pull herself together. "He wanted to make his own child of light and dark in order to force the prophecy to happen, to bring about the Creator."

"He desecrated her corpse to complete his insane plan?" He summoned his glaive in a flash of light. "No more shall this misdeed go unpunished! No more!"

"Don't!" Bayonetta grabbed the weapon, ignoring the small flare of pain from her shoulder. "We can't disrupt the flow of time! Who knows what consequences could happen if we did!?"

"I do not care anymore!" Balder struggled to free himself from her grip. "My love was slain in front of me, and now she is desecrated for some madman's insanity! This is not the way life or death is supposed to be!"

Voices were then heard in the hallway. Activating witchtime and lightspeed respectively, they ran to another room, unlocked and opened the door. Slipping inside, they locked themselves in after closing it, and pressed their ears against the door to hear what was happening on the other side. Their respective time spells faded as the voices cleared up.

"…sometimes I wonder about the usefulness of mortals." A man's voice was heard. Both flinched at the sound, both from recognition.

"I do to, but they have their uses." A female voice was heard. "Being the start of our security isn't one of them."

"Jeanne?" Bayonetta whispered, and it all clicked for her. Balder also had recognised the voice of the former Umbran heiress, but opted to stay silent.

"Since when were the Umbra acquaintances to mortals?" He hissed. "And why am I here?"

"It's the last Lumen Sage." She answered, gesturing for him to be quiet. "That's why."

"Since when were Lumen and Umbran in cohorts?" Balder asked, his anger turning to confusion. She didn't answer, and focussed on listening in. "Especially to their murderer?"

"Ah, Rosa. My 'dearest'. She has served me well." The man sounded content. Balder was shaking in rage at every word and was struggling to contain himself. "It's too bad her mind and emotions were far too easy to manipulate."

"Cereza's mother. Never really cared for her." Jeanne commented, closing the door to the containment room. "Never liked her either. Stupid bitch thought it was fine to get herself hitched to a Lumen Sage, of all people."

"Ah, that is where you are wrong." Loptr-Balder laughed. "You see, my dear, that Rosa never could truly love a Sage. It was in the very core of her being, something that could truly never begin to be changed."

"Then how?" Jeanne asked, her tone laced with confusion. "How did this all happen?"

"I simply pulled the strings that were necessary. All the love that Balder ever felt from her was nothing but a mere illusion; the same goes for my 'dearest' Cereza." The colour drained from their faces as they heard. "The emotions of a mortal; they are far too easy to manipulate. And because of it they lose."

"Well…" Jeanne began to laugh. "You certainly have outdone yourself this time, Father."

Their voices trailed off. Balder glared in anger and hate at the door, and Bayonetta sat there in shock.

"He is lying!" Balder hissed, rage and despair in his voice. "He has to be! Our love was real!"

"She…" Bayonetta swallowed. Mummy had loved her! There was absolutely no way that was fake! She had seen Mummy's love in her eyes!

Didn't she?

"There's no use dwelling." She pushed all the doubt and confusion down, bottling it deep inside her for the time being. "Come, let's go."

Opening the door quietly, they sneaked behind the two voices, taking care to not make a sound.

They found themselves in a massive room. In the centre stood a sizeable, glass pod. Surrounding it was several operation tables containing both dissected angels and demons, and other pieces of chemistry and medical equipment. Looking at the pod was two figures, one dressed in red and the other in white; Jeanne and Balder. One looking a lot worse for wear than the other.

"That is me?!" Balder whispered in confusion. Bayonetta elbowed him in the side and gestured for him to listen.

"Ah, experiment 10978." The Elder sage's voice carried throughout the room. "You are still alive. Good, good. Everything is now according to schedule."

"I'm honestly surprised the mortal hasn't died yet." Jeanne spoke, her words carrying trace amounts of respect. "No one has survived the Lumen/Umbran transfers, and now you've added Infernal and Lagunan cells to the mix? It's impressive. If it wasn't such a piece of shit normally…"

"If it has the will to survive, then he shall. And as such, it will make a fine bearer of the Right Eye." Balder examined a nearby console. "It looks like it is stable, but in a critical condition. Whatever is the matter?"

"I give it a week, tops." Jeanne turned to leave. "It looks like no security was breached after all."

"Yes, I guess so." Balder turned as well. "Perhaps we should hire a new secretary."

The pair watched as the pair from the past left. Once the door closed, both made a beeline for the pod.

"Damien…" Bayonetta whispered as she saw the wreck he was. He was lying in a bed, tubes and wires attached to nearly every part of his body. Two small growths were dangling uselessly to his sides, and she recognised them as his future wings.

"Wait, that in there is… Damien?" The Sage turned to her. "He is a child of light and dark?"

"Yes. The failsafe for his plan." She then frowned and turned her head to the side in thought. "Actually, I think he was the prime plan."

"Cereza…" Balder whispered. "He planned to use my own daughter for his machinations?"

"Don't worry, I stopped him." She turned to him. "His plot failed."

"If it did…" Balder turned back to the sleeping man. "Then why did we get sent here?"

Bayonetta shrugged, then her eyes went wide as she recognised a blur flying towards them. "Look out!"

Balder turned and then disappeared as a speeding mass of feathers, white and silver slammed into the Sage and burst through the walls of the laboratory, destroying them and sending the pair sprawling to the outside. The sounds woke up Damien, who stared at Bayonetta in shock, confusion and surprise.

She gave him a wave, then ran out after the pair.

…

Balder groaned as he landed on the street with a thud. Summoning his glaive, he blocked two swings of a katana aimed at his face, then pushed the assailant off him. The white cloth fluttered in the wind as two wings slipped out from underneath it,

"You!" He jumped to his feet as the winged man floated above him. Bayonetta ran out of the hole behind them, her eyes on the pair of Sage's facing off.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and the man's golden eyes stared down in hatred at the bearer of the Right Eye.

"Damien!" The witch called out. "Stop!"

"This man has been a blight on our life for far too long." Damien stared down in utter contempt at the Sage, ignoring his sister. "It's time it ended!"

"Whatever you think I did." Balder answered, swinging his glaive to his side. "It was not me."

"You were the one to ruin my life!" Damien pointed his katana down at the Sage, eyes blazing and lightning lighting up the sky behind him. "You will finally die, and I can be normal again! No more shall this cursed existence be!"

"You don't want to do this!" Bayonetta ran to her father's side. "It was Loptr! Loptr did this!"

"Who the fuck is Loptr?" Damien narrowed his eyes. "You've put her under your spell."

"It isn't like this!" Bayonetta shook her head. "Loptr is the one who is behind all of this!"

"What did you promise her? Love? Her lost father's affections?" Damien was back to focussing on Balder now. "You will die, and the link will be broken."

"I have not done anything." Balder gripped his glaive a little tighter. "We will beat some sense into you if it need be."

"You are welcome to try." Damien stared down at the pair as it started to rain. "if you cannot listen to reason, sister, then it will be forced back into you!"

…

This was beginning to look like her dream.

Bayonetta was about to start crying. Couldn't something, just something, go right on today, of all days?

"Bayonetta." Her father asked her, his head turning slightly to her. "I am not asking for you to join me, but do you stand against me?"

"I stand with you, Balder." She drew out her guns and pointed them at the winged man above them, the rain dripping off her and covering her glasses. "You are not my enemy any longer."

"You stand with him?!" Damien looked at her incredulously. "After all he has done?!"

"It wasn't him!" She shouted. "You need to open your eyes and look!"

"Enough talk!" Balder began to glow as he channelled his power. "You were trapped here by the Prophet, were you not?"

"He told me all I had to do to leave this prison was to forgive you." He landed, the impact leaving a small crater on the ground. "And I will bow before Jubileus before that will happen!"

"Then so be it." Balder pointed his glaive at him, Bayonetta pointing her guns as well.

"Please don't try to kill him." She whispered.

"If he is as insane as I am, then he too will be put down at the proper time." Balder answered, and her heart sank.

Damien burst forward, his sword flashing. Activating witch time and light speed respectively, Bayonetta and Balder side-stepped his multi-slash burst, then returned to normal as they began to swing in with punches and slices of the glaive.

The winged man cursed at the sudden onslaught, going immediately to the defensive. A small barrier appeared in his palm as he blocked each punch, the Shuraba swinging in arcs to both deflect and try to throw the glaive off balance. He was successful as one wild swing was pushed towards the ground, embedding the glaive into the street. The Sage cursed, but spent too long trying to free the weapon from the clutches of the ground as Damien caught him with a punch and knocked him senseless for the time being.

Sweeping her legs out, she felt the false Sage fall to the ground. Standing back up, Bayonetta extended one leg out and sent a wicked kick aimed at the somewhat prone man. It connected, and Damien flew into a nearby building. Swallowing, she chased after him, sending a hail of bullets into the walls. The wall exploded as Damien grabbed hold of it, sending the shrapnel towards her. Jumping into witchtime, she pushed aside each scrap of shrapnel in her path and deactivated it in front of him, a wicked punch primed.

He had anticipated this and she realised too late.

The weave was blocked by his hand, and then she felt her foot explode into pain as the Shuraba stabbed it and pinned it to the ground. She screamed in agony, then felt a punch connect with her shoulder and the pain quadrupled.

She collapsed to the floor, still screaming.

"You will be fixed upon his death." He snarled at her. "Until then, you will stay here."

"SIZICIEL!" Fireballs burst into her vision and slammed into his back, knocking him away. Balder burst in, his Eye glowing and palms crackling with magical energy. Damien growled primally, then launched himself at the Sage.

"LAVAVOTH!" Vents of lava opened up around the Sage, and Damien pulled himself back at the mostly impenetrable barrier. He reached up to the heavens and opened his palm.

"QUASABA!" Lightning burst from the sky, aimed at the Sage. Balder disappeared in a flip, and reappeared with a blue ball of energy in his palm. Releasing it, it connected with the winged man and stunned him briefly in the middle of the room.

"LEVANAEL!" Balder called to the heavens as well, and a second bolt of lightning flew at the winged man. Damien cursed as he teleported backwards, back onto the street. Balder ran after him, his glaive snapping into his hand. Tossing it as a spear, he watched as the winged man resummoned his katana and knocked the flying weapon to the side. Dashing forward, the false Sage began sending long sweeps at the Lumen Sage, Balder answering with his blade of light bursting from his palm, parrying and deflecting each attack as it came.

Bayonetta held back tears as she worked to quickly heal her foot and re-join her father.

…

"Isn't he perfect?" Balder smiled as he watched the metahuman and the Sage tearing up the city, and the witch that was hobbling back towards the fight. Jeanne followed his gaze, hers lingering for far too long on the witch.

"Why does he look like a Lumen Sage?" She asked pointedly. "I thought you designed him to be one of each, not just a denizen of light."

"I designed him to be more than just a pawn of light or dark, or even of both." He watched as the witch tried to send a wicked uppercut weave into 10978's feet. The winged man simply stamped his feet, blocking the attack. "He was meant to be the perfect vessel for m- my Right Eye, and he has exceeded those expectations."

"Who is the Sage?" She asked, gesturing at the other man. "I know that is Cereza."

"That can be explained at a later time." He nodded in confirmation. "For now, make sure their… squabble doesn't come anywhere near the laboratories."

"You knew it was them the whole time, didn't you? They were the ones who broke into the labs." Jeanne grabbed out her set of guns and held them at the ready. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"A favour for a friend." He smiled. "And besides, they are better to break than to kill. They deserve it."

"As you say, father." Her tone gave no indication of her feelings on his statement.

…

Balder leaped forward, his light blade held out defensively as Damien crashed into it, Shuraba crackling with energy as the two blades collided.

"Why must you do this?" He summoned a second blade and held it against the katana. "What is your quarrel with me!?"

"You made me into this!" The winged man roared back, his golden eyes flaring. "You destroyed my life, for nothing but your own selfish desires!"

Balder slipped out from under the stalemate as he watched Bayonetta run forward with a wicked punch charged, slamming it into the back of the crazed man. Damien flew into the wall of a nearby building, bouncing off it and up into the air. Launching herself up, Balder then watched in horror as the winged man recovered and grabbed her second weave with an almost apathetic look.

"Bayonetta!" He jumped after her, and then the katana snaked out and slammed into her side, throwing her back down to the street, where she bounced once and lay there in a crumpled heap. Turning to face the emotionless man above him, Balder stared in shock at his actions.

"That's how you treat your family!?" He roared, his glaive reappearing in his right hand. "By destroying them!?"

The man reappeared in front of him, and he felt the glaive being torn from his grip and another enclosed on his throat. Immediately he tried to call upon the angels at his disposal, but not a sound escaped his throat.

His eyes widened in horror, then dark spots began to form on the edges of his vision as the golden eyes continued to burn into his grey ones.

"You did this." Damien snarled as he dropped the fading man. "You caused all of this!"

_I did…_ Balder eyes closed as he braced for the impact. _I did, did I not?_

He slammed into the ground and bounced once. Groaning, he forced himself to stand and watched with fear as the winged man dropped to the ground, his eyes on the witch.

…

Groaning, Bayonetta awoke. Her shoulder burned, her stomach ached, and her forearm screamed at her as she stirred and tried to get up.

Lightning flashed, and she saw his silhouette in the rain, and she froze.

He landed on the ground, the sound of concrete shattering breaking up the crackling of the fire and patter of the rain. The tremor reached her, and she began to slowly stand up.

She knew what was coming next.

"You threw your lot in with him." Damien snarled, his eyes staring at hers with murder. "You know what he has done, and to whom he has done it to, and yet you still join him?!"

"Damien, it's me!" She held a hand out. "You know-"

"I know it's you!" He roared, the Shuraba bursting into flame. "It's always you, been about you, you, you, you! Never anyone else!"

Her eyes were filling with tears as she watched him begin to stalk forward. "Why?"

"Tell me; what did he promise you?" His words were twisting with hate, and his voice was warping slightly. "Tell me!"

A familiar flash of silver and white burst passed her, and Balder was now crossing blades with him again, his glaive split in two and held in a x shape, trying to drive the crazed man back.

"Bayonetta!" The Sage's voice carried to her clearly over the distance. "You need to run!"

"No! Balder!" She screamed as Damien began to twirl his hand.

"You have to run!" He was losing this battle. "I can-"

A meteor slammed into his side and Balder flew somewhere to the left, travelling through several buildings and deeper into Isla Del Sol.

And far away from her.

"Daddy!" She turned to run in his direction, then felt her legs sweep out underneath her. Landing onto her shoulder, she howled in agony as pain began to burn through her. She could sense him behind her, poised with the katana held in his normal stance.

"You are irredeemable." His voice was but a whisper. "You will die!"

"Please, Damien…" Her left eye was beginning to glow as she sensed something. "Please don't…"

"Why shouldn't I?" His voice dripped with insanity now. "You have done nothing but condemn me and exalt **him**. The one who caused everything!"

"Look inside…" She rolled over, whimpering in pain. "Violence isn't the answer."

He reached down and gripped her throat, picking her up. His eyes narrowed as he stared into hers, "Why are you so weak?"

She seized the opportunity, reaching out and grasping a handful of his hair, then slammed his forehead into hers. He grunted in annoyance, but the brief stun was enough. Touching his temple with her other hand, she briefly felt something extremely familiar, then their minds melded together.

Much to her relief, the intended effect happened; memories of the last four days poured into his mind, and he screamed and threw her away, trying to break the mental connection. Her Eye glowed brighter and the connection stayed.

Five agonizing seconds passed, then Damien fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Brother?" She whispered, reaching out to him. "Bubby?"

Balder ran in from behind, his glaive held by his side. Sending him a glance and a furious shake of her head, the Sage heeded her request and stopped, his eyes trained on the kneeling man.

"Why did this all have to happen to me?" He asked, his voice diluted. "Why couldn't I be normal?"

"Because destiny exalts a chosen few."

Balder roared and launched himself at the new voice, and was flung back by a pink and white wicked weave. Damien looked behind him and cursed, leaning over in frustration, and Bayonetta felt despair grow in her heart.

"My dear, sweet children." The possessed Sage, Balder stood at the end of the street, a familiar witch in red standing at his side. "A long time ago, I banished you to this era of existence, to leave you to either die and my former selves reclaim the Eyes of the world as need fit, or to simply have them fall into my grasp."

Balder had moved to Bayonetta's side and was shielding her from the pair of approaching figures. The witch reached out to him weakly, and she felt his hands enclose hers.

"And now, both Eyes, served to me on a platter." Balder-Loptr gestured to the pair on the floor. "Quite the turn of events isn't it, Jeanne?"

"If I say so?" Jeanne smirked. "I say it is most fortunate, Father."

"Jeanne?" The witch in black called out, her tone pleading. "Jeanne, please!"

"What good would pleading do now, Cereza?" Jeanne laughed, and Balder stiffened and his head snapped to her in shock at the name. "You are nothing to what the Father will give me!"

"Jeanne…?" Damien was standing up now, his hand holding his head.

"Ah, Experiment 10978…" Balder-Loptr smiled lightly. "Sentience does not suit you."

"You were nothing to me; and I know of your little tryst with me in the future as well." The witch in red stepped forward, the feathers attached to her guns floating in the wind. "What a weak person I will become, falling for an abomination like you!"

"How can you say that!?" Balder roared. "You are not even the one from the future-"

Damien held out a hand as he stared down at Balder-Loptr and Jeanne. "Enough, Balder. This is not your fight."

The Sage nodded, his eyes still trained on the pair.

"You wish to fight us both alone?" The corrupted Sage laughed. "You cannot beat me, and you are not willing to harm her. This is foolish, and you know it."

"And stop prodding into my mind." Jeanne placed a hand onto her hip and regarded one of her nails with boredom and arrogance. "I am quite happy where I am, and how I am."

A brick slammed into the back of her head, and she stumbled forward, dazed. Balder-Loptr rolled his eyes and started to walk forward, his arms held out wide.

"Accept your destiny as my Left Eye. Take it from her, and you will become far stronger than you are, and could possibly be without it."

"I do not need strength, nor power." Damien looked back, his eyes fading back to their normal colour. "All I want is Jeanne back."

"Jeanne is mine. Your will is mine. My daughter will be mine!" The Sage snarled.

"You will leave my daughter out of this!" Balder glared back at himself. "Even if Bayonetta saves her, she does not need to be involved in this insanity!"

"You still haven't realised the truth." Balder-Loptr smirked. "And that is why you will fall!"

A pink and white heel slammed into him, and then the Sage flew away and through another building. Jeanne stared at the hole in contempt, and then turned to the trio.

"You need to get out of here." Her voice was small, and Bayonetta smiled in relief. "You can't be here!"

_Smart move, Damien._

"You can come with us!" Damien reached out to her. "You don't need to be here, especially with-"

"If I go, then he will take it all out on you." She pushed his hand away, her face solemn. "I…"

"You are willing to go back to-" He balled his fists, and his eyes closed in rage.

"Anything he does to me, is one less thing he does to you." She placed a hand onto his cheek, and his eyes opened down to hers. "You did not deserve any of this. Even if what he does is… degrading… I can bear it. I know what we will become, Damien. I… I hope that everything will work out."

Bayonetta went pale, and the world muted. She felt her wounds lessen, and her attention briefly turned to Balder and his hand glowed with green energy. She tried to latch onto the distraction, but the knowledge she had gained was…

She just couldn't ignore the fact her best friend had been defiled by her father.

"Just get out of here before he comes back and tries to kill us all and bring upon the resurrection." Jeanne pushed him back and turned to the hole, taking her stance. "Now go!"

Damien stared at her for two seconds, then turned and ran back to the pair. Bayonetta mentally reached out to him, her eyes looking at his with a single question.

_Did you always know?_

He didn't meet her eyes. Instead he looked at the Lumen Sage healing her, his eyes searching his face.

"Balder, for all I thought you did to me…" Damien swallowed. "I forgive you."

A blue portal opened around them, and they disappeared.

…

Jeanne stood steadfast against the Sage floating out of the ruins of the building. She showed no fear, no apprehension.

She knew what was coming, and she was prepared to make him fight every damn bit of the way for it.

"So, this is what your true colours are." Balder snarled. "After all I have promised you?"

"Your promises can fuck right off for all I care." She answered, pointing the All 4 One at him. "Leave this insanity to rot, and then go to hell!"

She then froze as he snapped his fingers, a paralysis spell enveloping her. His eyes twinkled with madness, and she felt her heart go cold.

"You will learn submission, Jeanne." His voice was but a whisper. Two Affinities grabbed her, and she tried to move any muscle to try to break free.

"Take her to my chambers, and make sure she doesn't try to escape." He turned away, surveying the ruined street. "I have to get this mess sorted out before punishments for disobedience are handed out."

"Do you have to, my friend?" A calm voice called out to the corrupted Lumen Sage. Balder-Loptr laughed, and then turned to watch as Loptr floated into view, his holographic form shimmering.

"If I want the mortals to remain in the dark about this companies' true purpose." Balder smirked. "I remember doing this."

"I am here to aid you in your little quest to make a new vessel before this one expires, am I not?" Loptr tilted his head. "To what use is the Prophetic power to him?"

"It. It is my vessel. My blank slate." Balder snarled. "My plaything!"

"I will not disagree with you." Loptr smiled. "Very well. Shall we begin?"


	17. Chapter 16: The Depths of Inferno

_Author's Note: I do not own any part of Bayonetta. _

_You might want to read the short story Aftermath in order to understand some parts of this chapter._

Chapter 16: The Depths of Inferno

The blue light faded around them, and the familiar red glare of Inferno replaced it. Damien stood up and walked away from the crouched pair, his body trembling. Whether it was with rage or sadness, no one could tell.

"For how long?" Bayonetta hissed as she stood up as well, pushing Balder away from her. "For how long did you know about this piece of Jeanne's past?"

"When she decided to throw me out, I decided to take liberties into my own hand and read her mind truly, for the first time." He answered, still looking away from her. His voice was trembling, and the Sage figured it was a mixture of the two. "What I saw…"

He let out a screamed and telekinetically ripped a rock out from the ground and slammed it back down, shattering it. "Why the fuck wouldn't she come with us!?"

"Because the past cannot be changed." Balder rose to his feet, his eyes trained on the winged man ahead of him. "Anything we do then will cause the present, and us to change as well. It is far too dangerous to even consider, let alone attempt."

"You can't say that!" Damien twirled around, his eyes red and glistening. "You have no idea what has happened to her! What you have done to her!"

"Hey…" Bayonetta began to sway, yet neither man had noticed.

"Do you think I want to keep your past the same, boy? My future is bleak." The Sage's eyes gleamed with anger. "I have nothing but pain waiting for me there!"

"What? You kill your wife? It's not like she has to live with it! And it's certainly not like you have to live with it! I kill you!" Damien slammed a finger into his doppelganger's chest. "What you did to Jeanne will live with her forever, and you know that!"

"Stop…" The witch pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

"I did nothing to Jeanne!" Balder roared back. "Loptr did everything to her to torture my future self, not to make your existence hell!"

"Oh, it's all about you now, isn't it? I swear your self-centredness just runs in the family, doesn't it? No wonder why Rosa never loved you." The winged man rolled his eyes. "Always full of yourself."

"You go too far!" Balder's eyes burned. "Rescind your words now!"

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do to me?" Damien stepped forward so they were now eye to eye. "You've already taken everything from me!"

Silence reigned as the two men stared angrily at each other, their hurt and confusion on display for all to see. Neither were willing to back down, and definitely neither were willing to put aside their animosity.

Then Bayonetta collapsed, holding her shoulder.

"Sister!" Damien rushed to her side, Balder following close by. "What the- what is wrong?"

"Hurts…" She whispered, and the Sage understood instantly. He kneeled and lifted her up gingerly.

"Reveal your shoulder." He ordered, and her hair peeled back to reveal the bandage covered and dripping with blood. Damien cursed, and his eyes snapped to the Sage across from him.

"What have you done?!" He roared. "What did you do to her!?"

"It is too late to change my mistakes." Balder looked at him, regret filling his tone. "Bayonetta; are you able to stand?"

"Answer my question!" The winged man screamed, and Balder shot him a look of annoyance.

"I sliced her with a cursed blade. Now, are you able to stand?"

She shook her head, and then cried out in pain as Damien held his hand over her, green energy trying to repair her shoulder.

"Stop that!" Balder slapped the younger man's hand away. "The wound will not heal, and anything you try to do to help it will only hinder it further!"

"Then what can I fucking do?!" The winged man punched the ground in anger, his eyes beginning to fill with despair.

"Your sister will not die." The Sage held a hand out, and a small portal of light opened up. "I will not allow it."

"What are those?" Damien's eyes narrowed at the leaves that floated down into the man's hand. "Leaves? You are going to heal my sister with leaves?"

"These are no normal leaves, darling." Bayonetta smiled, her eyes betraying the pain she felt. "They are mandragora leaves, and they are the most potent healing flora on the planet. Pretty useful, isn't it?"

"They will not heal her. They will reduce the pain, and help her arm become more normal, but not repair the damage done." Balder shook his head as he pulled his gloves off, his slender and pale fingers quickly working to pull off what remained of the bandage. When it was pulled off, Damien turned away and threw up at the sight.

Black pus leaked from a blackened cut, red blood spilling from the puncture. Balder frowned, and his lip curled at the stench. Wasting no time, he pulled the ruined leaves from the wound and quickly replaced them, then spun his fingers as golden strings spun themselves in the air. Damien had turned back, finished with emptying his stomach, his eyes filling with wonder at the magic on display.

The strings wrapped around the shoulder, tightening themselves around the shoulder and sealing the wound away temporarily. Stiffly moving her arm, Bayonetta felt the healing energies beginning to seep into it, dampening and lowering the pain.

"Thanks…" The witch smiled in gratitude as her hair suit reformed back over her skin. "I think I can stand now."

"So now what?" Balder asked as he helped the raven-haired woman up. "One of us is injured, another has to take care of her and I have no idea what in Jubileus you can do, aside from be a lesser version of me."

"We now can find our Jeanne." Damien answered, standing up and walking to the edge of the small clifftop they were on. "The one from our time…"

"She'll be ok, Damien." Bayonetta said soothingly, still leaning on her father for support. "You two will be ok, I promise."

"Where is this witch of yours?" The Sage an, feeling the witch trembling at his side. "We might want to hurry things up before Bayonetta collapses."

"Jeanne is this way." The winged man gestured towards the cliffs beneath them, putting emphasis on the name. "We will need to move; she does not have a lot of time left."

"Then lead the way." Balder made to pick up the witch, but she pushed him away, shakily standing on two feet. "Bayonetta; you are in no shape to travel by your-"

"SUNDENNA!" A demonic horse jumped out from a portal, its nostrils flaring and hooves pawing restlessly at the dirt beneath them. The mostly naked witch then jumped up and onto its back, her pale features smirking slightly.

"I'm not that useless, old man." She turned and petted the sword horn of Diomedes, the Infernal shaking its mane in approval. Damien smiled at his sister, then two wings unfolded out from his coat. "Now just try to keep up with us both."

And with that they both jumped off the cliff, leaving the flabbergasted Sage behind.

"You both must be insane to charge into Inferno, of all places, just like that." The man grumbled, dashing forwards and into wolf within. "Completely and utterly insane."

Jumping off after them, he plummeted until he was on top of Diomedes, then transformed back into his human form. The witch glanced back and gave him a small smile. He nodded, and then they both turned to focus on the winged man ahead of them.

…

Damien landed in a crash, slamming his fist down in a superhero style pose. Diomedes arrived soon after, Bayonetta and Balder staring at the trio approaching them, eyes narrowed. Looking up, Damien inwardly cursed. Lowering his head, he tried to gather his thoughts, but nothing came to mind.

How was he going to get out of this one?

_This is not going to be pretty. _He began to speak to Bayonetta. _The last time I told them I would be here, would be when I was dead._

_Wait, what? _Her voice came back, full of confusion. _What the hell are you on about this time?_

_Just… _He raised his head, meeting two familiar blood-red eyes. _I don't know what to do anymore._

Balder growled as he recognised the demon leading the group. "You!?"

_I agree, my contracted. _Madama Khepri spoke up, her eyes twinkling. "It will certainly not be pretty pretty."

"Madama Khepri," The winged man stood up as Diomedes dissolved back onto Bayonetta, Balder walking up to his side and glaring at the green Infernal. "Butterfly and Styx. How… great of you to join us. Absolutely charming."

"_You promised us your soul. You promised all of us your soul!"_ Butterfly hissed, her eyes briefly flickering between both of her contracted mortals. "_You deceived us all!_"

"Now, now." Khepri held up a hand, her eyes not leaving his. "Don't be too harsh on him. He had… quite the motivation."

"_Love? Pathetic mortal._" Styx glared daggers at him. "_Your little meddling has what caused your little love to become abandoned in this wasteland!"_

Damien stood there at the Madama's words, his expression wavering somewhere between anger and regret. He knew they were right.

Bayonetta glanced at him, her expression hidden. He didn't address her, but he knew she had already figured out that he had lied to her.

Again.

"_A mortal of his worth is not worth our time. We all should have never allowed his promises of his power to sway any of us._" Butterfly folded her arms. "_You cannot expect to fulfil your promises upon death. It would be quite the predicament if you were to join the ranks of the dead, since we all get a piece of the metaphorical pie. You would be torn asunder, left to burn in Inferno for eternity._"

"_It doesn't matter. Whatever he tried with us has cost me Jeanne, and he doesn't even fulfil his part of the contract!_" Styx stalked forward, her pink and white form trembling with rage. "_This is your fault, and you know it!_"

"I know where she is." Damien whispered. Styx paused, then tilted her head. Khepri folded her arms and smirked.

"Indeed he does. And before that little meddling fool did his meddling, he was about to save her." The green Infernal nodded. "Alraune, the Whisperer has her. I would recognise her voice anywhere."

"_Alraune? That upstart?_" Butterfly scoffed. "_A pathetic woman. She will be easy to dispose of._"

"You know what has taken her?" Bayonetta stepped forward finally. Butterfly regarded her coolly, then nodded.

"_A former lady of worth, like I was. She grew jealous of the tales involving me and my exploits as a demon, and then killed herself out of spite to ascend to an Infernal." _She spat, her red eyes blazing. "_And what I found when I grew curious enough to seek out the newest addition to Inferno, was just a garbage excuse for a whore!_"

"_Alraune has Jeanne? Why not just teleport there and rescue her, little lover?_" Styx growled. Damien rolled his eyes.

"I can only teleport in Purgatorio and the mortal realm." The winged man answered passively. "Anywhere else I run the risk of a stray Infernal or Lagunan taking my soul mid-teleport."

"And that would be a bad thing, wouldn't it be?" Khepri walked forward and pulled Styx back. "Leave him be, sister. He has a lot more to worry about."

_Why aren't you speaking in Enochian? _Damien quickly asked mentally, his curiosity finally getting the best of him.

_What's the point? _His patron answered, then finally turned to the Sage standing beside him. "Balder. It indeed has been a long time since I have seen you."

Balder clenched his fist, and then he walked forward, towards the bemused Madama's. His eyes were shining with tears, but his body was rigid with anger, and Damien could sense betrayal in his mind. "Did you know? This whole time, did you know how she ended up!? How could you lie to her?"

Khepri's smirk faded, and then she glanced at the two demonesses besides her. They both nodded, and she turned back to him. "You might want to come with me."

"Answer my question!" The Sage snarled, and Khepri held her hands out, trying to calm him. "Did you know that she was manipulated!?"

"I will answer. Just you alone though." The green Infernal shook her head at Bayonetta and Damien, who almost started in indignation. "Because this is for private ears only."

"_And besides. We need to have a conversation with you two._" Butterfly pulled Styx to her, and stared down at the siblings. Damien swallowed, whereas Bayonetta smirked at the pair.

_This was going to be fun… _They both thought, for opposite reasons.

…

The Sage and the Infernal walked in silence, until Khepri stopped him.

"I only received her soul about a year ago." She turned to him and looked at him with sad eyes. "She has been in… pain."

Her palm opened, and a small portal shimmered into existence. From within it, a familiar spectre walked out.

"Rosa!" Balder ran forward, then held himself back as the spirit looked at him sadly. "Rosa?"

Tears fell from her eyes as she ran forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry…"

He didn't hug her back, instead opting for his arms to remain at his sides. "Is what he said true? Everything he…"

"Loptr was right." She was crying. His will and resolve was beginning to crumble, and he felt horrible. "I… I never truly loved you. It was all an illusion, brought upon by his meddling."

Slowly, he began to pull himself away. Rosa looked up at him, confusion spreading over her face.

"Balder?"

"What is the point?" He asked rhetorically, looking away from her, grief lacing his words. His voice sounded, for the lack of a better term, dead. "I have lost everything…"

"You haven't." Rosa pulled his face back to her. "Loptr may have influenced me, but you can't influence what will not exist."

"What?" He looked up to Khepri, who smiled softly.

"You two were always destined to be together. Although originally, you it took you two bonding over the tyranny of Loptr to begin to think about a relationship, let alone conceive a child together." The demon explained. "So he simply brought destiny forward to suit himself, and also be able to lie to you to put you into a despaired state of mind."

"You mean…" He looked down to Rosa with hope in his eyes. The witch nodded, her eyes not leaving his.

"In time, I could get to know the real you, and you could get to know the real me." She whispered, then looked down shyly. "I… would like that very much."

Balder did not move. Instead, he looked back into his wife's eyes with a questioning look.

"Where is Cereza?" He asked, and the two women went still. "What happened to our daughter?"

"Cereza… she…" Rosa turned to Khepri, who shook her head.

"Don't tell him."

"What!?" The Sage exploded. "Why not?!"

"Cereza…" The witch in his arms turned back, burying herself in his chest. "I really don't know what to say…"

"Where is our daughter?" Balder finally wrapped his arms around her, staring with anger at Khepri. "And why will you not tell me?"

"Your daughter is close to you, in here." Khepri tapped her chest, gesturing to her heart. "Where you go, she will always be with you."

"That is just hypothetical nonsense." He retorted. "I have not seen my daughter for twenty years, at least. Bayonetta has supposedly seen her, and yet I cannot find evidence that she existed!"

"All will be revealed-" Khepri started, but Balder let go of his wife and stormed to her, causing the Infernal to back off in fear.

"I have had enough of you dodging questions, and not answering things based on 'not changing the future.'" He roared. "I have met someone who constantly changes time in order to give himself the best outcome! So obviously those claims are baseless! Tell me, please!"

The man stumbled, his rage breaking momentarily. "I need to know…"

"If I tell you, Balder, you will break!" Rosa had grabbed onto his hand, and he glanced back to her. "Who Cereza is, and what you did to her, it will destroy you!"

"I do not care." He stood back up, staunchly meeting their gazes. "I want to know."

"We will not tell you." Khepri's lips thinned against his glare. "You will discover the truth at your own pace. Please, enjoy the time you have left with Rosa. You don't have much time left before the other two re-join with you again, and you have to find their missing member."

Balder's glare faltered, and he re-turned to Rosa. She smiled sadly, and he could feel his emotions beginning to creep up on him again.

"I accept this fate…" He nodded, then felt himself being pulled down as Rosa sat down, and he wordlessly followed her down.

…

"_Ascendant One…_" Butterfly turned to Damien, and the two mortals frowned in confusion. "_Explain yourself!_"

"Ascendant One?" Bayonetta tilted her head at her patrons' words. "Who is that?"

"_Your 'brother' is something that cannot be explained by our language._" Butterfly turned and began pacing, Styx still glaring at the pair. "_His power grows beyond what we expect, and yet somehow it continues to grow after that. Therefore, the Ascendant One._"

"That name sounds awfully similar to Loki's title." Damien commented, trying to ignore Styx still. "And Loptr's as well."

"Strange. You never were involved with them lot; only Balder." The witch shrugged, and Styx growled in response.

"_Loptr was Balder, you fool!_" The pink demon hissed. "_Something you should do well to remember!_"

"I never encountered Loptr during my time!" Damien argued. "I do not think he manipulated him as so!"

"This knowledge does explain Jeanne's comment." Bayonetta stated, then gestured to the ground as they stared at her in confusion. "She mentioned that Balder was not himself during our battle with him."

"_Because Balder, to all intents and purposes, was dead._" Styx shook her head as she took centre stage, Butterfly moving back to let her through. "_And once the body perished, Loptr took control of it with his own will. And once that died…_"

"Loptr moved on… to Jeanne." Damien slammed his fist against the wall as he finally realised the true events. "And I thought it was Balder the whole time!"

"_Her erratic behaviour due to partial possession and your subsequent dealing of it, was the first wedge that pushed you two apart._" Styx glared down at the winged man. "_The final straw was you brokering the contract out of her control, and now look what you have done._"

"_It's in the past now._" Butterfly finished for her. "_We need to focus on freeing your contracted._"

"_The plan has not changed._" Styx waved her concern away, turning away.

"Plan? What plan?" Bayonetta placed her hands on her hips and regarded the pair of demons. "Don't tell me you've been planning this."

"_The plan is simple; we charge in, kill that bitch and get her out._" Styx answered. "_I am coming with you._"

…

Balder looked up to see Damien, Bayonetta and Madama Styx walking towards him, solemn expressions shared amongst them. He understood their intentions almost immediately, and he knew that Rosa could sense his reaction of reluctance.

"Balder." He turned back to the spectre, who gave him a sad smile. "Our time is up."

"I wish it were not so." He whispered as Bayonetta's eyes bulged at the sight.

"Mu- Rosa?!" The younger witch ran towards them as they stood up from their position. Damien was frowning, his eyes narrowed at the spectre at his side. Styx glanced at the demon, then stepped back to let the four meet up in the middle.

"Yes, it's me. It's so good to see you again." Rosa held her arms out, and the pair met in an embrace. "I'm so sorry for what you had to go through…"

Bayonetta said nothing as she stepped back, small tears streaking down her cheeks. The elder witch smiled, then glanced over to the winged man.

"You… I know you…" The spectre stepped forward, her head tilted. "Damien. It's so good to finally meet you."

"Rosa." He nodded his head curtly, but his voice was stiff.

"You know each other?" Balder asked, confused. He stepped forward, gesturing towards them. "How?"

"My genetics were used to add Umbran heritage and power to him." Rosa stared in amazement at the winged man. "And by extension, Khepri's power."

"Wait, your ge-nen-tic material?" The word plopped out of his mouth, his mouth curling with distaste. "Someone, please explain."

"In the easiest of terms, Balder; he is our son." The witch smiled softly. "A son we never had, but a son that is one of us."

"WHAT?!" Bayonetta hid a smile as she visibly watched as all the connections became apparent for the Sage to see. "That's…"

"Impossible? I really, really wish it were so." Damien turned to the Sage, his mouth tight. "But, if you take a look at the face value of things, we are practically the same, minus this thing." He gestured to the wing behind him. "But don'tt think for one second that I will call either of you my parents. You aren't, and will never be."

Rosa visibly wilted at his words as Balder shook his head. "You are… my… son. I can sense it. Why can you not accept it?"

"Because you had my real parents killed." Damien turned away, then stormed off. "Let me know when we are ready to leave."

The trio watched as he left, all of them partially understanding what was going on inside his head.

"He's lost." Khepri spoke up, breaking all three of them from their thoughts. "He has no fate, yet he's going on a downhill course. It would be best if we stopped procrastinating and went after Jeanne as soon as possible."

"I agree." Rosa nodded, her voice small. "I think it would be best to let this problem be fixed before we start fixing him."

Bayonetta nodded, then asked a question. "Will I see you again?"

Rosa smiled softly. "Of course, you will." The elder witch turned to Balder and gave him a wink. "And in time, Cereza will too."

The spectre shimmered, then faded. Khepri glanced to the Sage, and noticed that he held his head a little higher than normal.

"Balder?" The Infernal questioned, and he looked over to her.

"What are we waiting for?" He tilted his head slightly, and Bayonetta smiled.

_Like father, like daughter indeed._

…

Damien was waiting for the trio by an outcrop, his wing hiding his face from their immediate view.

"You now know most of the truth." He started, the wing dropping down. "Are you still proud of yourself?"

"To what end could I keep these thoughts in my head?" The Sage shook his head. "I cannot linger on what is to come. It would destroy me."

"He's right, darling." Bayonetta gestured down to the depths that awaited them. "We have to focus on Jeanne, not the past."

"_Lead the way._" Styx hissed, and Damien merely glanced at her. Sighing to himself, the winged man dropped down, the three trailing after him.

…

The Gates of Hell were rather quiet these days, Rodin decided. He glanced over at the coffin in the centre of the room, the reason for all of this silence. Jeanne's serene face did not taunt him, it merely reminded him of what needed to be done.

"I really hope Bayonetta is doing mighty fine." He spoke to the body, letting his thoughts wander. "Cause you are nearly out of time."

He walked over to the bar, grabbing the small package sitting on it. Letting the empty shell fall out, he remembered the order the witch in question had asked for, almost a month ago.

"Perhaps they do need help. Besides, I gotta go down there anyway. I do hope that Damo did give her that hammer." He gave out a small bark of laughter. "I must seem crazy to you, Jeanne."

Jeanne did not answer. Chuckling, the weaponsmith opened up a portal, red flames dancing around his feet.

"I'll be back soon, and when I am, you'll be awake."


	18. Chapter 17: The One Who Whispers

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own anything. Sorry for the length of time for this update! I promise we are nearly finished, and the last few chapters will be done before the year is up._

Chapter 17: The One Who Whispers

Damien stopped, his eyes turning to the left and squinting into the distance. Bayonetta stopped beside him, her temper beginning to rise as she too found what he saw.

"To what do we stop for?" Balder turned to them, realising they weren't following. Styx sighed and folded her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Gommorah." Damien hissed. "Or at least-"

"It's my one." Bayonetta cut him off. "Or we could say; my former one."

Styx straightened up, her aura changing. The Lumen Sage noticed the rage in the air, and he glanced out to where they were all staring.

A huge beast was climbing up to the top of a rocky outcrop, about five kilometres away. It seemed to be staring back at them, its red eyes burning with hatred.

"It murdered my friend." The witch growled, answering his unasked question. "It's the reason we are still in this hellhole!"

"You all need to calm down before your emotions make you do something rash and ill-conceived-" Balder held his hands up.

"I want to kill it now!" Damien shouted, his lower wings snapping out. "For what it has done to her!"

"You need to calm down!" The Sage shook his head, eyes hardening. "Hastily attaining revenge will not help Jeanne!"

"He's right, you know." A new voice called out from behind them. "You need all the brains you can spare for traversing Inferno."

"Rodin?!" The winged man turned in shock to the newcomer. Styx rolled her eyes and stared at the fallen angel. Balder stiffened, whereas Bayonetta's face lit up with a smile.

"I see you have finally decided to join us." The witch laughed. "How… fortunate."

"I ain't here to save Jeanne." Rodin put his hands on his hips as he chewed his cigar, looking at each of them individually. "I have a little dirty work that needs to get done. Something for customers and various other shit."

"So you'll be travelling with us, I assume?" Bayonetta walked up to him and put her hands on her hips. Rodin turned his head to her and glared.

"I am not here to fight your fights. I am here to find the demon Alraune." He answered forcefully. The witch, however, was not fazed.

"That's the one we are looking for. Looks like you can't get your dirty work done just yet." She smirked, then walked over to her father and brother. "Let's get going then."

"Hold on." The weaponsmith held up a hand and pulled his cigar from his mouth. "You seriously aren't thinking of getting between a man and his next payday?"

Bayonetta winked. Balder stared angrily at the weaponsmith, whereas Damien looked to him in confusion.

"_Why are we lollygagging?_" Styx spat. "_We must go!_"

"The Madama is correct." Balder turned to the Gommorah in the background, eyeing it with apprehension. "Something tells me that will not just be a sight to see in the background."

As if on cue, the Infernal roared, its body lifting into the air to stand on its hind legs. The witch faced the demon, all traces of her previous humour gone.

"We won't be alone any longer."

Already, multiple red portals were opening in the distance, small demons crawling into existence. The Shuraba snapped into existence, the glaive appeared in a flash of light, Love is Blue dropped into her hands, Rodin raised his hands into a boxer's stance and Styx unfolded her arms.

Bayonetta glanced to her companions. "Shall we dance?"

"_Madama Styx…_" A similarly dressed demon rose up from the ground, towering over the quintet. She was dressed in a blue, revealing dress, had pale skin and had a wolf motif surrounding her; paws covered her hands like gloves, and a hood in the shape of a wolf's head adorned her crown. "_Why have you trespassed into my realm?_"

Styx began to grow in size, matching the newcomer. "_I am here on an errand; I demand safe passage for me and my companions."_

"_Becoming subservient to morals? How the mighty have fallen._" The demon shook her head. "_He was right."_

"_Who?!" _Styx snarled, but she was ignored.

"_I, Madama Fridja, will kill you where you all stand, and feast upon your souls." _She clicked her fingers, and more portals formed in front of the quartet. "_It's nothing personal; just good business._"

Styx threw the first punch, and the demonic army surged forward in response.

…

Loptr smirked as Damien disappeared back into the portal, hurtling back into the passage of time.

"That's one nuisance gone forever." He spoke to the demoness, not bothering to try and find her.

_Gone forever? _Alraune hissed. _You can't be that confident_

"Well, the other two should be back by now. The bonds of family cannot truly be broken by the passing of time." The spirit gestured to the cavern's entrance as he felt two familiar Eyes reappearing in Inferno. "They're definitely back by now."

_What do you want me to do?_

"I want you to kill them and feast on their souls." He began to open a portal back to the mortal realm. "My goddess can't be a weakling."

_I am not weak! _Alraune spat out.

"Correct. But you could be stronger with their souls in addition to hers." Loptr pointed out. "Now, I have promised you anything and everything, correct?"

_For as long as I play my part._

"Good. It's time for you to keep to that promise." Loptr kept his laughter inside as he faded through the portal. "As I will with mine."

Of course he had no intention of sharing, or keeping. The demon could die for all he cared.

…

"We aren't going to go very far." Rodin shoved away a Hatred that was getting too close. "And we are cramping each other's style!"

They had spent the last ten minutes fighting for their lives against hordes of demons. They had not moved from their position, and the siblings were literally counting down each second, cursing each one that was lost.

"Then why don't we split up?" Damien grabbed the demon and tossed it into the ground. "Balder and I need more space!"

"Splitting up is the worst thing we could do!" Balder cut through a few minor Hideous demons, and he glanced with anger at his allies. "Do you have a deathwish?"

Bayonetta sent out a wicked sweep, creating some space for the two 'Sages'. Damien capitalised immediately, clicking his fingers as he summoned Temperentia to aid him. The Auditio slammed both of its fists down, crushing several Hideous' and expanding the free space even further.

The demons immediately swarmed back through, regaining what little ground they had lost.

"TELOAH!" Balder swept his glaive and tossed a feather towards the ground, then Iustitia burst from the rocky terrain, immediately killing hundreds of demons. It began to pick off demons in all directions, and the army turned its attention to the divine being now intruding in their realm.

"While they are distracted!" Rodin grabbed a sprinting Hatred and ran with it now in his grip. Shrugging, Damien and Balder followed instantly, firing off a few fireballs at any stragglers that got close.

"What about Styx!?" Bayonetta yelled as she joined them, bullets firing and slamming into the heads of their pursuers. Rodin glanced up at the two colossal beings still fighting each other, the very realm bending and warping around the wills of the pair.

"She'll be fine."

As if in answer, a massive punch caught Fridja in the chin, and the Infernal staggered backwards in pain. Arriving at a cliffside, Rodin spread his free arm out to stop his companions from hurtling to their death. Tossing the Hatred off, they all sensed something massive take notice of the offering.

"You again?" Damien tightened his grip on Shuraba as an Insidious floated into view. Rodin chucked, then jumped onto its back.

"All you need to do is feed them, and then they'll take you anywhere." He gestured to the trio. "Now jump on!"

…

The ride was unusually quiet. Damien and Bayonetta had split into their own group and were discussing something under hushed tones. Whatever it was, Balder did not know, and he somewhat did not care.

"Well, if it ain't everyone's favourite Lumen Sage." Rodin drawled, and he turned his attention to him. "What brings you back from the dead?"

"My existence in this time has nothing to do with you, Infinite One." The Sage snapped back. "Now leave me alone."

"We are on this demon together." The weaponsmith pulled his cigar from his lips and peered curiously at him. "So we might as well make conversation."

"Not with me, you do not." Balder gestured to the siblings. "Why not entertain them with your blather?"

"Because I don't have business with them." Rodin answered, replacing the cigar. "But I want to know why you detest your hero now."

"Because I learned that the mighty Rodin, Father of the Lumen, was nothing more than a common demon." The Sage's eyes flashed. "Because he betrayed his better half and tried to destroy Paradiso!"

"Those are some correct accusations." He grinned in return. "You certainly know your history. But I'll let you in on a little secret; what is the difference really, between the Creator and the Destroyer?"

"The Creator is still a member of the divine. You are not." Balder shot back. "And will never be again."

"Look." Rodin threw the cigar stub away folded his arms, levelling his eyes on Balder's own. "I dislike you for far more reasons than a forgotten childhood dream."

"The same can and will be said for me." The Sage nodded his head, his eyes not faltering and certainly not backing down.

"Good. However, we both have a common goal." Rodin held his hand out. "And I think we should be civil until said goal is achieved."

"Consider this a momentary truce." Balder accepted the hand, shaking it firmly. "But once we are done with the Witch, I will drag you down to the deepest pit of Inferno and leave you there."

"You would be welcome and justified to try." Rodin's eyes glowed red, but Balder merely glared back.

…

"Jeanne is straight ahead." Damien announced quietly, and Bayonetta snapped up at his words. Rodin and Balder raised their eyebrows and quickly moved to stand with the siblings.

"You're right! She's here, I can feel it." The witch smiled, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Dead ahead."

"Hold on." Rodin stepped forward. "You do remember what I said?"

"Why do you speak of her as a target, Infinite One?" Balder folded his arms. "And for whom?"

"Something personal. And besides, I don't tell others of my- motherfucker!" The former angel cursed as both Bayonetta and Styx surged forward, launching themselves off the Insidious and towards the strange pink palace. Damien cursed as well, then jumped after them, his wings spreading out to slow his descent.

Rodin turned to the Sage left with him. "Just make sure they all don't go shooting or slicing up my target, OK?"

"Understood?" The Sage nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Extracting Jeanne will not be a task that will leave Alraune in one piece."

"Oh, I know." Rodin smiled, his eyes glowing under his sunglasses. "That's why I want the largest piece to be somewhat coherent."

Balder turned away, summoning his glaive as he did. "Then the demon shall fall at our hands."

Leaping gracefully from the demon's wings, the Sage plummeted towards the ground, his face stonewalling.

Landing softly, he glanced to his sides to see his two allies standing there, staring into a massive cavern.

"_Who dare to enter my domain?_" A demonic voice called out in Enochian. "_Three mortals? A tribute to my upcoming ascension?_"

"Tribute to what?" Damien called out. "We have met before, demon, and we are not here as fodder for your plans!"

"_Ah, the witch. She has already been devoured._"

"We are here to pick her up." Bayonetta stepped forward into the cavern, her guns held at the ready, her body constantly circling around. "It's way past her curfew."

"_It's such a delicious soul, and so fresh… Such a delicacy._" The voice was teasing now. "_A treat in this harsh place._"

Balder could feel the rage in Damien growing by the word. He reached out and placed a hand onto his shoulder, trying to send any form of calm into his body. The hybrid shrugged him off, then stormed to the witch's side.

"Give her fucking back right now, or you will die!" He roared as a challenge. Alraune laughed in response, the guttural tones reverberating throughout the room.

"_Begone humans. I will forgive your first trespass, and perhaps your only crime will be the damages you have made to my palace-"_

Meteors and wicked punches exploded around them as Balder starting cursing his ally's impatience. Within seconds, the cavern was now exposed to the harsh light of Inferno, and the strange beauty of it was gone forever.

"How about now?" Bayonetta stamped her foot, unleashing a final weave and stared defiantly upwards. "Do my trespasses get forgiven now? What are you going to do about your precious palace now?"

"_You...!" _Alraune screamed in fury. _"How dare…"_

A few seconds of silence proceeded, and Damien continued to glare into space.

"_Umbra Witch…?" _The voice was now uncertain. "_And two Lumen Sage's?"_

"That's fucking right!" Damien pointed the Shuraba up at the voice's origins. "Come and fucking get us!"

"_And you've entered a pact with Madama Butterfly and Madama Khepri?"_ Something dropped down behind them. Turning around, they all saw their first glimpse of the demon they were hunting.

She was humanoid, with skin like a pink corset wrapped around her chest as a dress. Her skin was pink in hue, and her boots and gloves were a reddish pink as well. Long nails protruded from her fingertips, and strange, vine-like growths grew from her back. The lower half of her head was a normal human's face, whereas her upper half was a strange disc-like helmet that obscured her eyes and revealed her brain to the world to see. It was also coloured reddish pink.

"_This is no trespass!_" Her lips moved sensually, like she was some kind of mortal who was used to getting their way due to their looks. "_This is a defiling of my inner sanctum!_"

Bayonetta laughed at her. "Oh, you've had enough sex to make your 'inner sanctum' nothing more than a cheap whorehouse."

_And whatever you did to her? _She whispered to Madama Butterfly. _Nice._

"_How dare you!?_" Alraune bared her teeth. "_This is my realm you stand in!_"

"Your realm does not encompass the Umbra Witch inside of you." Balder pushed passed the siblings and pointed his newly summoned glaive at her. "We can do this peacefully. All you need to do is let her go, and we will be on our way."

"_You think I'm about to let this Umbra Witch go?_" Alraune placed a hand on her stomach. "_She has much potential; with her power, I could become the Queen of Inferno!"_

"Why must you make this so difficult?" The Sage grimaced as he took his stance. "No mercy will be shown upon you; you must understand this?"

"_Your souls will join hers if you challenge me!_" Alraune slammed her heel down, and vines wrapped around the three. Balder slipped out of his bonds, whereas Damien and Bayonetta were slammed and pinned to the ground. "_I am the next Queen! I am the strongest, most beautiful and most worthy Infernal there is!"_

"You are delusional." Balder kept talking, slowly circling her now. Alraune hissed in response and she jumped forward, her fingers held claw-like, trying to stab the Sage with her nails. Slipping to the side, he brought the glaive flatside first onto her back, then gave her a kick to throw her off balance. Riding the glaive up, he tried to catch her with an afterburner kick, but the demoness recovered and whipped a leg out, a whip-like vine extending from her heel and slamming Balder back down to earth.

Grunting in pain, the Sage looked up to see the demon plummeting towards the ground, fingers outstretched. Activating lightspeed, Balder watched as she slammed into the ground, and then he shifted slightly to not get stabbed by the spikes now erupting from the ground. Separating his glaive and jumping out of his time manipulation, he began to thrust both ends towards her, ripples of golden energy unleashed from the tips. Catching Alraune by surprise, the demoness screamed as the holy energy slammed into her and threw her backwards. Turning around, he recombined his glaive and gestured towards the wracking body.

"HONONOL!"

Temperentia's fist slammed into her, and she was launched into the air again. Taking the opportunity, he twirled his glaive and tossed another feather into the air.

"OBELISION!"

Sapientia burst from the ground, its mechanical jaws closing around her. A burst of pink energy exploded it apart, and then Alraune was flying like a bullet into his stomach. Feeling all the air expel from it, Balder only could watch as her nails ripped into his thigh. Chanting in Encohian, Alraune jumped back as two flowers grew from the ground, each of them shooting a strange substance at the Sage. Once he found he could not move, Balder had a pretty good idea what it was.

Alraune didn't give him time to ponder his way out of the situation. As soon as he looked down to start freeing himself, she was swiping at him with her claws, trying to tear him apart. Summon a shield in one hand, he parried her first strike, then sent out a burst of energy from his glaive to push her back…

And then Labolas ate her.

"Jeanne is in there!" Damien roared, and Balder turned to see the siblings free from their temporary prison. "What the hell are you doing?"

"She fucking deserves this!" Bayonetta answered, then clicked her fingers to unsummon the demon. A battered Alraune fell from the unweaving hair, covered in slobber and stomach fluids.

"_Stupid mortals…_" She laughed slightly. "_Don't you know that every single thing you do to me, hurts her tenfold?"_

Damien paused slightly, then shook his head. "That's some bullshit if I've ever heard it."

Alraune began to laugh harder as she began to grow. Bayonetta's eyes widened, but she did not retreat. Balder pulled himself free, then stared grimly at the sight before him.

"_In a few hours, all of this will be for naught._" She spread her arms wide as her legs grew. "_The witch will be devoured, her power mine, and then the Whisperer of Dementia will be spoken with reverence throughout the realms!"_

She stopped growing and regarded the three in front of her. Her body was now atop a giant four-legged monstrosity that included a tail and a viewport directly into her stomach.

"Jeanne…" Bayonetta whispered. They were so close. Yet the final obstacle still remained between them.

"_She will have made a fine meal._" A hand possessively fondled the stomach, and Alraune rebought their attention. "_It's a pity you were all too late._"

A tremendous roar ripped through the air, and Gommorah appeared above them, its red eyes staring down at the trio. Bayonetta glanced up, and her heart sank.

It was only an hour or so until she was gone. How were they supposed fight two of them, and still get Jeanne out of her?

"_Your pet grew tired of your false promises of power._" Alraune grinned, and Damien began to frantically look around. "_He's my pet now. And you have to go through him before you are allowed to even touch me!_"

Balder charged forward but was thrown back by a fireball from above. Gommorah snarled, and Alraune began to laugh.

"_Face it, mortals. You have all lost, and now I will feast on four souls as opposed to one._" She began to slowly advance, her beast-like body sending tremors through the ground with every step. "_Do not fear; your power will be made of good use here._"

"It's not over until it is, bitch." Damien was circling around to the right, Shuraba held at the ready. The demoness paused, and then turned to him.

"_What did you just call me?_" Her tone was now deadly quiet. Balder's eyebrows raised; evidently, his doppelganger had hit a nerve.

"You are a bitch." Damien pressed onwards, noticing it as well. "A good for nothing, useless bitch who would be better served as a whore on a platter for me!"

Evidently, Bayonetta had not heard anything from the sort from him. Her eyes were nearly as wide as his, and her face was a shade above his pale features.

"_I am no bitch! I am no whore!_" Alraune screeched in fury, her body beginning to convulse with rage. "_I am the fucking Queen of Inferno! Kill him!"_

Gommorah roared, and then made to swing in when a fist slammed into his face, knocking him back and away from the fight.

Alraune stared up at the Madama in horror. "_St…Styx?!"_

"_That's right._" Madama Styx swung an uppercut into the demon, knocking it even further back. "_You have something of mine, and you are going to give it back._"

"_As if I will._" She turned back to the trio and gestured towards them. "_I will take their souls first, and then I will take your dominion first!"_

"You are welcome to try." Bayonetta started with a heel slide, transitioning into a stiletto to bridge the rest of the gap when Alraune jumped backwards. Damien joined her, fire now burning along the blade of the katana, swinging in from behind. Balder did not press forward, and instead opted to study his opponent.

She was slow and sluggish with her movements. Each dodge had several seconds where she was completely open to any form of offense, and her attacks themselves were easy to read. She would be a simple foe to defeat, if it weren't for his allies currently making themselves a pain in his strategy or in general.

"Come forth!" Damien shouted, and several bombs of light exploded around Alraune, staggering her slightly. Bayonetta took this opening to jump and slam into her with an afterburner kick, comboing it into a heel stomp weave and tetsuzanko to her stomach. Balder commended their strategy; they were going after the stomach, but not trying to kill. He noted that the translucent skin that contained the Umbra Witch had barely taken any damage, and his eyebrows furrowed.

That wasn't a weak spot. But he now had an idea of what to do now.

Tossing his glaive as a javelin, he followed after it, a blade of light springing out from his palm. It struck true, slamming into one of her knees, and then swinging in at the mostly unscathed stomach. He bounced off of it, to his surprise, but his addition had not gone unnoticed.

"_Lumen Sage… Why do you ally yourself with your enemy?_" The demoness swiped at him, and he easily flipped over the swing. "_They seek at nothing to finish what their predecessors started._"

"My Lumen brothers were tricked into suicide by a madman." He answered, twirling his blade into her knee, grabbing his glaive with the other as he did. Damien noticed the opening, and then the Shuraba was skewered into her joint a second later.

"_That madman? Or are you talking of the Prophetic One?_" Alraune hissed, grabbing and removing the blade with a casual flick. Damien broke off his meteor summoning spell, teleporting after the blade. Bayonetta and Balder both paused at her words, and that cost them dearly.

Alraune's tail whipped around, and the pair were sent flying into the winged man. Crashing into him, they tumbled into a heap and Alraune shook her head at the sight.

"_Pathetic and stupid mortals. What were you hoping to achieve, challenging a Queen?_"

"How long do we have?" Damien asked as he pushed Bayonetta off of his chest.

"As long as she does not remember she can hasten the process, about an hour." Balder answered, helping the Witch back to her feet.

"_Why thank you for reminding me._" Alraune smiled, while nodding. "_I could just do that._"

"Good fucking job." Damien punched his shoulder hard, and Balder reflected that perhaps he shouldn't open his mouth that often.

"Doesn't she need to concentrate to do that?" Bayonetta asked, and he nodded.

"She cannot do it while we are distracting her." He grabbed his glaive, running towards the monstrous demon. "To arms!"

"_Do you really think you can just defeat me?_" Alraune swatted him away, laughing as she began to grow as Jeanne began to fade. "_I am a Queen!_"

"No!" Damien jumped forward and slammed the Shuraba into her stomach. He bounced off her, but Bayonetta noticed that there was now a large dent in it.

One more good hit should do it.

Alraune sent the winged man sprawling with a punch, and then turned her attention to the remaining member of their party.

"_Do you wish to join your 'friend', Umbra Witch?_" She taunted, slowly walking towards her. "_Do you wish to become one with your new Queen?"_

She noticed Balder dragging himself to his feet, and she sent him a glance. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't object to what she insinuated.

She didn't bother with Damien.

She jumped forward, guns blazing, right into her grip. Immediately she felt her soul tearing and ripping as the Demon tried to pull it from her body. She screamed in anguish and agony, and she vaguely heard her bother shout her name inanely.

"Do not save her!" Balder screamed as the winged man charged in, Shuraba burning. A psychic probe burned into his brain, and he staggered as Damien finally linked their minds together.

_She will die if I fucking don't!_ He screamed in his mind, and the desperate emotion nearly changing the Sages mind. But he knew what Bayonetta was planning, and he intended to not let her efforts go to waste.

Clicking his fingers, he activated Lightspeed and walked to the front of Alraune. Letting time resume as normal, he summoned a blue ball of energy and shot it into her stomach, then followed it up with a thrust of his massive, staveless glaive.

The dent deepened, and then Bayonetta dropped a giant hammer into his arms. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't question it. Swinging it around, he slammed it onto the stomach, and it shattered.

The stomach burst open, and Jeanne spilled out, immediately retaining her form as she did. Alraune dropped Bayonetta, screaming in pain as she did. The witch's soul snapped back into her body, and she tumbled to the floor, Balder catching her before she could injure herself. The demoness shrunk, and within seconds she was back to her humanoid form.

"Jeanne?" Damien called out, changing his course to run towards the spirit. He dropped to his knees and slid the last couple of metres, his hand finding hers as he arrived. "Jeanne!"

Balder let Bayonetta down, and the witch crawled to her sister's side. "Jeanne."

She wasn't answering. Nor was she breathing.

Balder felt guilt rising inside of him. This was his fault. He could have prevented this, like so many other things.

Alraune weakly looked up, and her face twisted into a grimace. "_Looks like you were all too late after all…_"

Damien roared, and he teleported to the demoness. Fist after fist clobbered her face, each one breaking bones, skin, flesh, anything on her person. Balder looked away with apathy.

This monster deserved it.

A brown hand grabbed the winged man's own, and he looked up, ready to kill whoever was stopping him from obtaining revenge.

"Don't waste your energy." Rodin shook his head. "You've got more important shit to worry about than dealin' with this… monstrosity."

Alraune had flipped. Instead of her triumphant grin, there was now a look of immense fear on her face. "_R-r-ro-Rodin?!"_

"That's right." The weaponsmith grinned. "And now you are under my care."

Damien backhanded her in one final, emotional hit, then teleported to his sisters' side.

The spectre now had her Umbran Watch placed upon her chest, where she normally wore it. Bayonetta was staring at her, trying to will her into life with looks alone.

"Jeanne, get up." She whispered, her voice cracking. "You're going to be late."

"Jeanne, its time to wake up." Damien enclosed her hand in his again. "It's time! Get up!"

The witch grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying anything. "Please Jeanne!"

She continued to lie there, corpse-like.

"Just, wake up!" Damien was crying now. "Please!"

"I am sorry…" Balder placed his hands onto their shoulders, and he felt them both stiffen, albeit for different reasons. "This should have never been allowed to happe-"

"She is not dead!" Damien shoved him away, agitated rising to his feet. "I do not-"

A bright purple light suddenly encompassed them all, pulsing from the watch. Bayonetta had no choice but to tear her gaze away, and then she turned back once the glare had disappeared.

Her chest was rising and falling. Her lips were partially open, and she could hear the faintest sounds of breathing.

"Jeanne?" She asked tentatively, trying not to surrender herself to hope.

"Cereza?" Jeanne croaked out. Damien turned back, eyes wide.

"Jeanne? Jeanne!" He fell back to her, eyes trying to find hers. Her brows scrunched together in concentration, and then her eyes opened.

"Damien?" She asked, her voice faint.

"What do you need?" Bayonetta sat back onto her haunches, a fake smile plastered onto her face. "A wake-up kiss or something?"

Her hand rose and touched his face, and Balder turned to give them some privacy.

"I thought…" Jeanne whispered. "I thought that we were…"

"I have never been so wrong and stupid in my life." He answered, his eyes never leaving hers. "This is all my fault, I'm so-"

She pulled him down, and her lips met his. Bayonetta sighed at the sight.

"You should have just asked." She stood up, and glanced around, immediately noticing a missing member. "Where's-"

"She's somewhere a little safer for us all." Rodin answered, smiling as he shoved a whip into his pocket. "It looks like we won this one."

Bayonetta allowed a genuine smile of relief wash over her features. She turned back to the pair, and noticed that Damien was now helping her stand up. "You were never much of a morning person, were you?"

"Did you… all come to rescue me?" Jeanne asked, eying the strange troupe warily. "Are you all insane?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Bayonetta stepped back to her friend. "No witch leaves another behind. I simply would be too bored without you to incessantly tease."

"Don't be such a spoilsport." Jeanne grinned tiredly. "What's happening to me? I feel… woozy."

"You need to get back to your body." She answered. "Then you can rest up, and join us again."

"Be careful." She began to float up, and Damien let go of her hand.

"I know." She smirked. Damien rolled his eyes, and then looked up at the spectre.

"Jeanne… Just get back to your body. It's in the Gates." A portal opened up behind him, and he looked over to Bayonetta. "I can meet you there…?"

"Just don't break her, Damien." The Witch answered. "I've heard that you can be quite rough."

Damien began to splutter, and his face turned bright red. "That's not true! Where did you hear that?"

"Just some bird." Bayonetta smiled at his antics, then turned to her sister. "Contact us when you are in a more… hospitable state. And no stopping or turning around along the way!"

Jeanne giggled, and then broke into a smile. "Thank you, Cereza. You don't know how much this means to me."

She disappeared in a flash of purple light, and then Damien turned and sprinted through the portal behind him.

"To be young again." Balder turned back, a serious look on his face. His eyes, however, danced with amusement. Bayonetta smiled at him, and then turned to Rodin.

"What about you? What will you be up to now?"

"I have some more business to attend to." Rodin turned and looked out, towards Inferno. "Don't go forgetting my baby here before you leave."

He disappeared in a flash of red light and the Witch and the Sage were alone, once again.


	19. Chapter 18: The Road to Fimbulventr

_Author's Note: We are nearing the end of this fic, so do not panic! I do not own anything from Bayonetta._

Chapter 198: The Road to Fimbulventr

The first thing Jeanne felt, once she finally realised she was back in her body and was fully alive again, was the cold beneath her.

Gasping for breath, she tried to pull herself up and out of the cold area, her fingers lethargically trying to grasp the edges of a box. They constantly slipped and fell back into what she could now identify as ice, and her frustrations grew tenfold.

_What a fucking way to die._ She lamented. _Being bought back to life and then freezing to death._

Opening her eyes, she noted that her blurred vision wasn't going to help her either. Blinking and squinting, she tried to make out anything that could help her.

Purple. Chandeliers. A red neon sign, containing four distinct words she couldn't quite make out. A faint jazz tune could be heard in the background, and her eyes widened when she finally figured it out.

The Gates of Hell. Of course they would bring her here..

A face appeared in her vision, and she froze up.

Damien was staring back down at her, his eyes barely disguising the emotions running through his body. She really didn't know what to say, or do.

She had kissed him.

She had also cursed him out, never wanting to see him again..

He had kissed her.

He had also cursed her out, never wanting to see her again.

So she decided small talk was the best way to get started.

"Sloo, ble laa…" She immediately clamped her mouth shut as he frowned in confusion. Of course, nothing would be working correctly; she had been dead for close to a week.

His head rose slightly as a lightbulb seemingly turned on inside of him. He reached to her, his warm fingers brushing against her forehead, and their minds connected again.

_The last time I saw you, you were dead. _His voice was barely a whisper. _I never tho-_

_The last time I fucking saw you, you were cursing my name and wishing I was dead! _She immediately accused, as she had tried to moments ago. The winged man wilted under it, but she pressed on. _And now you have the gall to say that you are sorry?!_

_I was cursing your name because you decided to push me away because I had tried to help both you and Bayo- Cereza out!_ He answered in a small tone. _I wanted to help, and you rejected me, threw me out like an unwanted house pet and then had the idea to beg me to come back!_

_Only because you were incredibly stupid in making a contract with three fucking demons! _She retorted. _I've never heard of such a stupid idea, and quite frankly if that's your idea of helping, well… I wouldn't want to know what your idea of not fucking helping is!_

_Others have done that, and they didn't face any lasting consequences while they were still alive. _His lips thinned, and she could tell he was finally taking a true stand for himself. _Luka and I made very sure about that before I even got the idea to do rewrite two contracts, let alone oneit. So why did you do it? Throw me out over nothing?_

She froze up. Was she really the one in the wrong? No. He was the one who was incredibly stupid, an asshole, despicable idiot who serviced himself for his own warped sense of self…

Yet he was right. She knew it, if she really thought about it. Damien had merely done something he had naively thought was helpful, and something that was a giant boon in the coming future if she ever managed to die for real.

She was broken. That's why she had pushed him away, and kickstarted this whole chain of events.

Still, she hated being wrong. Growling in frustration, she reached up and lightly brushed her hand against his cheek.

Damien blinked and stared at her, confused. She did it again, this time trying to put more force behind it.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked slowly as she tried again and again.

_I'm slapping you, you worthless pig! _She cried out as she 'slapped' him again.

He finally caught her hand on the twenty third slap attempt, his eyes brimming with tears and his shoulders shaking. A snort of laughter burst from him, and her frustrations grew.

_Stop fucking laughing at me! _She yelled indignantly. _This is serious!_

With that, the dam broke. He fell out of her vision, his laughter echoing throughout the empty bar. Pouting, she willed herself to grab the sides of the box, and she pulled herself up unto a sitting position.

He was on the floor, giggling like a child. She glared at him, and his laughter grew again.

"Oh Jeanne…" He gasped out, breathing heavily. "I've missed you…"

Her glare broke down at his words, replaced with shock. No one had said that to her. Not Cereza, not one of her various 'lovers', nobody. She looked away, completely speechless.

And then finally saw her bare legs, and the rest of her body.

She shrieked and tried to cover herself up. Damien immediately jumped back to his feet, his eyes narrowing and darting around in panic, his laughter forgotten.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking her in her eyes. She half glared, half panicked back in response.

_Why the fuck didn't you say I was naked!?_

"Oh… I didn't think it mattered. You have been naked in front of me before. Like, literally whenever we fight." He answered, his naivety coming back to haunt him. Jeanne continued to glare at him, her irritation growing by the second.

_That's because I'm exposing myself with my powers, not involuntarily! I'm naked, cold and being laughed at. _She started bitterly. _You should have left me dead._

"Don't say that, Jeanne." He gently pried the hand hiding her breasts away, and held onto it. "I know, that now of all times, it probably doesn't matter… gah, this is hard. Bayonetta is right about apologies sucking…"

_Finally, a family trait. _She rolled her eyes, but then softened them. _Damien, if you are going to apologise, save it._

"Wha-" He started in surprise. "Why?"

"Because you saved my life twice now." Her voice was a little raspy, but she didn't care. "You have done more for me than literally anyone else. I know… I have been difficult at times, but we need to talk, and talk properly. Constantly apologising is not healthy, and we need to fix us."

"About what? Jeanne, the world might end soon, again." He shook his head. "We don't have the luxury of time!"

She snapped her fingers, and time slowed to a crawl.

"Now we do. Start at the beginning." She ordered, and he obliged.

…

"What a considerate brother." Bayonetta kicked a rock, watching it fly over and off the nearby cliff. "Bloody stranding us here."

"What was this hammer business all about?" Balder picked up the Yagyu and held it out to her. "Do not tell me you could have solved the Alraune issue the whole time."

"Damien gave it to me while we were on the Insidious, riding over here." She answered, taking the hammer from his hands. Hefting it onto her shoulder, she crouched under its weight. "And I bloody can't use the thing with any sense of speed. I'm not built for hefting giant hammers around."

"You got given it on the Insidious?" His eyebrow raised. "When?"

"You were too busy arguing with our token weaponsmith to notice, to be fair." She let the hammer dissipate, then stood back upright. "What is your issue with him, anyway?"

"I suppose you are right…" He shook his head, then his eyes hardened. "The Infinite One is a fallen angel; it should come at no surprise that we Sages hate traitors more than the average demon."

"I can see that, yes." She began to walk towards the former entrance to the cavern. "Well, time to try and make our way out of this hellhole."

Balder just stood there patiently, as if he was expecting something to happen.

"What on Earth are you waiting for?" She turned to the Sage, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you not going to open up the portal that will take us back?" He asked plainly.

"No, because-" Her eyes narrowed. "I can fucking do that?"

"Did they not teach you? Stupid Umbra Witches..." He sighed, and unfolded his arms. "It is a two-way system. How are you summoning your Infernals to Purgatorio?"

"By opening…" She began to curse. "You're fucking shitting me. I could have opened one myself the whole time?"

"It takes practice and a good amount of skill." Balder gestured with one of his hands towards the centre of the cavern. "However, exiting Inferno in theory is much different to entering it."

"And how would you know this?" She began to walk to the spot, taking off her Umbran Watch as she did so.

"I came to Inferno several times with Rosa. It was the best place we could… do our business, away from prying eyes." He shifted uncomfortably, and then she realised he was blushing.

"You fucked her in-" She giggled as he blustered over her.

"Do not continue that sentence! It is uncouth of a lady to speak of such things, and especially for a man to suggest them." He was half pushing her towards the centre now. "Please, just get us out of here."

"Boooo." Bayonetta smirked at her father, who groaned in response. "Why can't you do it anyway?"

"Because my magic does not affect the realm of Inferno. This is beyond my expertise." He answered, his voice still shaky.

"And one more thing; aren't Sages supposed to be celibate?" She had to stifle a laugh as Balder blushed again, muttering something about "improper ladies" under his breath.

…

Damien finished his tale, and Jeanne sat there speechless.

"He… what he did to me… It was someone-" She cut herself off. "I… can't."

"It was like you and him, for those one hundred years. Aesir had taken over his mind, and forced him to become what he dreaded most; a puppet to evil." Damien looked at her sadly. "His idea of punishing his vessel for his continual resistance was to make him break one of he few morals he had left, and take someone instead of Rosa. He abused his vessel at the expense of you."

"Wasn't he evil already?" She accused. "He was there, right within reach and he could have saved me!"

"He was tricked by a simple lie." Damien finally processed what she had said. "Hold on, he was where?!"

"Before Alraune captured me, him and this spirit… thing taunted me, and then left me to rot under her." She stated. "All he had to do was reach out."

"Spirit thing? Was it blue and shaped like a diamond?" Damien pressed. Jeanne nodded, not fully understanding his line of questioning.

"I really don't see why this fucking matters-"

"That's Loptr."

A beat.

"That's Loptr?!"

Damien nodded.

"Then why did I need to die?" Jeanne placed her hands onto her temples, rubbing them. "Why the fuck did I need to die?"

"You needed to die?"

"He said it was part of his master plan, or something." Jeanne adjusted herself. "He kept blathering on how unfortunate it was that I needed to die, and Balder kept banging on about how this is my rightful punishment for my sins."

"Why would you need to die? You don't have an Eye, and you definitely aren't a vessel anymore." Damien eyed her, his entire demeanour changing to paranoia. "I don't see why at all."

He mulled in thought, his hand leaving hers.

"Could you get me out of this bloody ice box already!" Jeanne yelled out suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Oh, right, sorry."

…

"Well, we are back in my time." Bayonetta smiled as the portal faded. "And in the right dimension to boot as well."

"Not the correct exit." Balder noted, glancing at the walls. "We are in Vigrid."

"Oh…" This area of Vigrid was familiar to them both now. "This is…"

"Dwelling the past will not serve us right now." Balder began to walk towards the exit, where he knew his wife's last moments were. "We must focus on the present, and what the future might entail."

"Don't we already know the future?" She asked as she caught up with him. "Specifically, yours?"

He hesitated slightly. "What my fate entails is what must become."

"What?!" Bayonetta stopped and stared at him. "You aren't willing to change your future-"

"Have you been taught nothing child?" He turned to her, his golden eyes flashing. "What I am is stuck in a time loop; my future is directly tied to the past of this world. Changing mine will change yours."

"I've had the past change on me once." She shrugged, her eyes quizzical. "Nothing world shattering happened then."

"Have you heard of the Sevathon Effect?" He asked. Bayonetta shook her head, and he continued. "It is a thought experiment concocted by the late head of my order, Father Sevathon. A former Lumen Sage went back in time and decided to crush a butterfly, since that was allegedly what bought his mother and father together. It was then realised that in crushing said butterfly, several chains of events had not occurred, such as his mother being distracted by a butterfly, and he had never been born. He simply ceased to exist, and the world spun without him."

"The butterfly effect? I know that." Bayonetta dismissed it. "That's only a thing for movies and T.V series that Jeanne is so fond of. What I know, you go back in time, you create an alternate universe."

"That is incorrect." Balder sighed. "All the evidence you need is Loptr."

"Right." Bayonetta conceded the point. "Although I do think a lot of people would be happier if we just killed Loptr and was done with it."

"It's too big of a risk. Even before the Clan Wars and the Witch Hunts, both sof which were spurred on by me, the Clans had a tumultuous relationship at best." Balder continued to walk out, exiting to the Crescent Valley. "We would have self-annihilated regardless of my meddling."

"Because of m- your daughter, correct?" She caught herself, but it did not go unnoticed. The Sage glanced at her, but did not press the issue.

"Absolutely. Even though we know that the prophecy is a bunch of lies, both Clans believed it with every inch of their body." He nodded, then gestured to the valley in front of them. "Where will we go from here?"

"Well, there's the ruins of Vigrid…" Bayonetta looked behind them, reminiscing for when herself and Damien made the trek to the airbase nearby. "Or we could head this way and to a place we can recharge, unwind, and wait for Damien to teleport us to Fimbulventr."

"Fimbulventr? Why must we go to the mountain?" Balder asked as he trailed after her, staring at the desecrated statue in the distance.

"That's where Loki wanted to go to, this whole time." She answered. "I think it's a trap."

…

Jeanne stared at the ground as she waited. Damien had gone to fetch her clothes, and now she was alone again.

Except this time, she could properly reflect on herself.

Balder was never evil. That she now believed. The man Damien had shown her was not the monster that tortured her for one hundred years. They couldwere simply not the same man, and could never be. She didn't really know what this knowledge entailed, but she was glad in a sense.

It was one less person for her to hate. Still, she couldn't quite forget what he had done to her.

"I don't know…" She whispered to herself. "What is…"

She couldn't decide on what to ask. Nothing was making sense, yet it was perfectly acceptable to her.

_Real?_ Styx asked in her mind, and she could sense a huge amount of relief expelling from her patron. _I've been trying to ask that myself._

"What do you think?" She asked aloud. She needed some sound, something to remind her that she was alive.

_He's right. I have met Balder, and he is quite the redemptionist. _The Infernal smiled. _If he had control over his actions, he would have helped you in keeping Cereza safe, not-_

"Please! Don't…" She cut her off before she could continue.

_Why? You have to face this reality with this knowledge, and you can't let it build inside of you forever. That's what started all of this. You get bottling and bottling and bottling until Damien did something stupid and it all burst out, and you took it out on him. You need to make peace with yourself._

"How can I?" She called out. "How can I, when everything that went wrong for this world happened because of me?"

There was no answer. Jeanne buried her face in her hands, guilt slowly beginning to fill her.

"Jeanne?" A soft voice called out, and she peered out to see Damien holding her red biking outfit in one hand, and a pair of thigh-high heels in his other. "Is everything-"

"No, it's not." She decided to be honest this time. "I don't think I ever will be…"

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked as he unzipped her clothes and began to help her dress. "I don't want to get anything wrong this time."

_This time. _He was learning. She smiled at that.

"Yes. You can start by giving me my damn shoes."

Within seconds, she was complete. Jumping up, she stretched each limb, feeling the aching muscles slowly restoring themselves. Brushing her hair out of her face, she gave him a playful grin.

"How do I look?"

"Like you've never missed a beat." Damien nodded approvinglyanswered. "Where do you want to go?"

"Home." She answered instantly. "I want to go home."

…

Bayonetta retransformed from panther-within in front of a familiar hotel. Instead of a recommendation or name-plate engraved onto its walls, there instead was a sign.

_Damien and Bayonetta stayed here!_

"Your fame certainly has spread." Balder pulled himself out of wolf-within and stood up. "Certainly unlike the Umbra of old."

"I am not them. And neither is Jeanne or Damien." She answered, frowning at the sign. She was going to have a word with the manager if she had anything to say about this… abuse of her name.

"You dislike it." The Sage noted. She nodded, turning to him.

"It's not their place to use our names to further their own interests. And besides, I do think Damien just wants to be left alone, not glorified for what he had done."

"What did he do?" Balder tilted his head, gesturing to the sign. "Why is he held in such high esteem amongst the mortals?"

"Why do you ask that? He merely stayed at this hotel, nothing more." She pushed open the doors, letting them both in.

"I heard things among the mortals during my stay in Noatun. They exalt him far more than they did you, even in his disappearance." The Sage conversed, not caring about the mortals who were openly gaping at him. "So what gives?"

"A room with two beds, please." She asked the clerk, who was literally awestruck. "And to answer your question, he was the one who protected the world all by himself from the initial angelic assault while I was in space fighting Jubileus."

"That is understandable. And you should pay attention when a lady asks you a question." Balder glared at the clerk, and he immediately straightened up.

"Oh, okay! We have a spare room! Didn't think you would break up with Luka so soon."

The fury in her glare almost withered him as well. "Don't you dare think that I would break up with him so soon! Or even entertain the notion! Give me the keys or I will feed you to the darkest depths of Inferno!"

The keys were quickly passed to her, and the Witch and Sage were on their way.

…

"Has Cereza…" Jeanne started, then hesitated. "No, don't."

"What do you mean? Jeanne, I'm not gonna bite your head off or anything." Damien frowned at her. "Ask away."

"What was Cereza like, while I was dead?" She asked. Damien froze, then teleported them both to her apartment.

"I can't really answer that question, since I rejoined with her about two days ago." He answered finally. "But from what I could tell, she was sad."

"Sad how?" Jeanne fumbled in a pocket for a second, then remembered she didn't have her keys on her. "Can you?"

The door swung open, and Damien walked out from behind it. "She wasn't herself. I felt that she was definitely hiding everything behind a façade, like you do."

Jeanne was silent as she walked into her apartment. Her wall was still battered and broken from when she had been thrown into it, her blood still stained the carpet, unmarked tests littered the ffloor, and her various, empty make up kit wereas strewn around the place.

"Well, home sweet home." She whispered bitterly. Damien frowned at her words, placing a hand onto her shoulder.

"I didn't think… why?"

"Because I didn't care! All I wanted to do was hide everything away from everyone, and not show them what a shell I was." She pushed him away and hugged herself. "Look at me, Damien. I'm nothing."

"You lack purpose." Damien stated bluntly, and she glared at him.

"Of course I do! I lost my family, I pushed away my friends, I…" She trailed off as she realised what this train of thought was taking her.

"You?" He prompted. She turned away, looking down.

"I pushed away the person who cared the most, didn't I?"

"You did." Damien walked in front of her and lifted her chin up. "Jeanne-"

"If you say the words 'I love you', I will slap you." She threatened. He smiled, and continued unabated.

"Jeanne. It was my decision. I wanted to be here, because I felt that you were the only one who could relate to me. Cereza couldn't. Luka couldn't. Rodin definitely couldn't. I wanted to be with someone who knew me and my situation, not someone who looked at me as nothing more than a trophy in her belt. Because until about the time I saved you from death the first time, Bayonetta saw me as nothing more than a feather in her cap, one to show off to friends. You weren't like that at all."

"But-"

"You regained control more than once. I never spoke of those times, because I knew what he did to you. Well, I thought you were lovers, but now I know better. You talked with me, you helped me, you confided everything with me. I thought it was a trick, something to get me to lower my guard to finally fall into his clutches, but now?" He let his hands drop to his sides as he looked down to the ground. "I think you just wanted someone who was a friend, and perhaps something more."

"We are two peas in a pod, aren't we?" Jeanne giggled. Damien cracked a smile, and he looked up to her.

"After this is all done, do you want to- to go out on a date with me?" He asked, his features turning red. "I think we should take this slowly, because I'm-"

"Damien, I would love to." She interrupted him with a kiss on his cheek. "Now, I destroyed your bed when I kicked you out. Which means there is now I can put my bed to its intended purpose."

Damien spluttered and turned scarlet. "Aren't we going too fast? I don't-"

"I want to be held! I don't want sex, I want companionship! Fuck, it's been five hundred years since I've had sexual relations, let alone be held by someone." She pressed her forehead against his chest. "I want to be able to feel what Cereza feels every day. I want to be held." She finished firmly. "And you are going to do it."

"Alright, I guess." He finally returned her embrace. "But a ground rule; no more surprise kisses. They freak me out."

…

Bayonetta stepped out of the bathroom, a gown covering her and a towel brushing through the last vestiges of water in her hair. Glancing around the small room, she noticed that her father was no where to be found, again. Rolling her eyes, she tossed the towel onto the table in the corner and walked towards his designated room. Opening it up, she found it was also empty; but this time there was a clue. The window swung lazily on its hinges, and a quick glance up found a pair of white heels swinging lazily in the wind.

Climbing out after him, she witch-walked up the side of the building, turning and taking a seat onto the ledge next to him. His face was open to the elements, and a pensive look adorned it.

"This is a strange world, is it not?" He acknowledged her, beginning the conversation that she could honestly say she was partially beginning to dread. "Nothing makes sense anymore."

"What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow at his words.

"I look around this place, and I can recognise the landmarks, I can recognise the aura the Crescent Valley still retains, but it is all foreign to me. It is like the witches were simply replaced instead of going extinct."

"Yeah, you could say that." She smiled down at the ground. "Mortals and their technology really have surpassed both of ours."

"You do not know what it all is?" He glanced to her in confusion. "Have you not been around mortals for five hundred years?"

"I was put into a slumber at the end of the Witch Hunts by Jeanne at my request to keep the Left Eye safe." She answered. "I have been asleep for most of my life, and only woke up about twenty years ago."

"What age were you when you were put to sleep?" Balder frowned. "Normally a state like that for that long will kill you."

"I was only sixteen, and far more mature than I should have been." Bayonetta reminisced for a second, then turned away in thought. "I suppose that's a partial reason as to why I am a partner with a mortal."

"You are courting a mortal?" The Sage turned to her fully now, shock on his features. "You are definitely not the conventional Umbra Witch; that is for certain."

"I know my clan used to be a lot of one night stands, but I don't ever want to hurt my Luka." She whispered to herself. "He doesn't deserve it."

"What did this mortal do to command such respect?" Balder asked.

"He helped me find myself. And he saved my life twice, although he will never know it." She smiled. "And he was the only man to see me beyond my looks, unless you count my brother."

She heard a sob from her right, and she glanced over to see the Sage shaking in pure emotion.

"Balder?!" She cried out, not sure where to start.

"I do not want to sleep." He blurted out. "I do not want to face my destiny!"

The cat was out of the bag. "Balder, of course you don't. Your future is terrifying, and rightfully so." She frowned at him again. "You can just not go to Fimbulventr tomorrow; you will change-"

"Bayonetta. If I do not go to Fimbulventr tomorrow, I could tear asunder time as we know it. I have to go. I have to face my destiny." His expression held great conviction, but Bayonetta could tell from his tone that it was all an act.

"You have a choice." She said quietly.

"We do not have a choice." He spoke firmly. "I have to do this."

"Why?!" Bayonetta burst out in anger and frustration. "Why are you so self-centred and… tragic!?"

"You and your friends deserve a good life." He growled. "If I do not go, Loptr will win. I can sense that. This way you can live a full life, and I can finally be with all my family again."

She was silent. "Balder-"

"DesiStopst." He held up a hand." Please, Bayonetta. My child is dead .Do not give a hopeless man hope he cannot reachhope to grasp."

She finally fell into a true silence.

"Just leave me to be by myself for a little longer. I… I want some space." He looked away, and Bayonetta slipped off of the ledge, heeding her father's wishes.

…

Damien watched Jeanne's chest rhythmically rise and fall as she subconsciously pressed up against him. Even though all was silent and calm, at the beginning it wasn't as much. He counted no less than three times that she had had some flashback to her past, and had jumped out of the bed, screaming and shaking in fear. Within seconds she would have calmed down, and coaxed herself back into the bed.

His expression darkened. Loptr was going to pay for all he had done.

Jeanne whimpered, and he pulled her closer to him, trying to offer any support to her. He smiled ironically; if she knew how much comfort she was providing him as well.

_Just like two peas in a pod. _He reflected to himself. _Never has anything been truer._

He knew why he didn't want to sleep. He was terrified.

_Relax. _Khepri answered him. _Nothing bad will happen._

_How is that supposed to relax me!? _He argued. _He knows we are back, and there's isn't much else to say about that other than he will finish what Alraune couldn't! _

_Loptr is preoccupied with other things right now._ Khepri answered. _He won't be bothering you for now._

_Nothing is ever truly set in stone. _He countered. _Loptr might show up right now-_

_I know he isn't bothering you since he is trying to find Loki. _The Madama interrupted coolly. _And he hasn't succeeded yet._

_Hope is still with him, and the mortal as well. _Temperentia spoke up. The Auditio sounded exhausted, and Damien had a few ideas as to why. _They are making progress towards the peak of Fimbulventr._

_So they are going to the mountain… _The winged man began to ponder. _Where are Bayonetta and Balder?_

_Vigrid. _The Angel boomed. _Not too far off from where you are._

_I am surprised you remembered us. _Balder's voice broke into his mind, and he almost jumped in surprise. _When I was with Rosa again, I did not remember about you until I was transported to that time._

_Wuh- Balder? What are you doing!? _He asked frantically. _Why aren't you asleep?_

_I could ask the same of you. _The Elder Sage chided him. _I simply do not wish to rest._

_What do you want? _Damien began to calm himself, the surprise already fading.

_Teach me. _The Sage asked. _Teach me how to teleport._

…

"Here again?" Bayonetta retransformed from panther-within and looked around Vigrid Airport. "Third times a charm, I suppose."

"You have already been to this place twice already?" Balder asked as he surveyed their surroundings. "This is where he asked to rendezvous."

"Indeed." A voice from their left interrupted them, and they turned to see both Jeanne and Damien walking towards them. "Vigrid Airport is a place where we can find some transport to get to Fimbulventr. As simple as that."

"Two issues; One, why don't you just teleport us all there? And two, we don't own a plane."

Damien smirked. "Well, I can't teleport you the whole way there. I'd probably die. And two, Jeanne is going to ask, apparently."

"We are going to borrow a plane, that I can promise." The witch in red grinned. "Whether we own it or not is a different question."

"We are going to steal this… plain?" Balder asked with a hint a disappointment.

"No, a plane. And yes." Jeanne was already walking towards the compound. "We will be stealing one. I don't have the patience, and we don't have the time."

"Has your small rest made you a little tighter?" Bayonetta frowned playfully, quickly matching her stride. "Because I've never seen you this pissed off."

"I'm going to kill Loptr." She hissed. "We better make haste or else!"

"By all means." The witch in black gestured to a nearby fighter jet. "That one?"

"It beats a crummy plane that Luka managed to pilot." Damien nodded in approval. Jeanne gave off a short bark of laughter.

"And that is the reason why our Cheshire is in my good books. Anyone who can fly one of those deserves to be."

"Hey." The winged man snapped his fingers as his lower wings unfolded. "Bayonetta? How is your shoulder holding up?"

"It's not one hundred percent." She answered as he began to hover above the group, Balder joining her in staring at the plane. "But it will hold up."

…

Balder stared in fascination at the plane as he held onto it. Bayonetta was watching him with a motherly look, and Damien was flying alongside them.

"You seem to be impressed." Jeanne's voice crackled to him.

"This technology… it is fascinating!" He sounded a lot more excited than he should have been. "I have never seen anything like it before!"

"Mortal technology has definitely surpassed anything the clans could do." Bayonetta smiled, then glanced to her left. "Although it won't help against those."

Light and darkness shrouded the imposing mountain in the background, and Angels and Demons were spilling out in the hundreds.

"Light and Dark working together…" Damien muttered. "Surely we can do the same?"

"As if you needed to ask." Balder clicked his fingers, and Fortitudo descended beside them. His glaive appeared in a flash of light, and the world spun as Jeanne dove and barrel-rolled away from the initial wave of Angels crashing into their path.

Damien splayed his palm open, and then a wall of fire rose up between him and the demons. The Infernal's hissed in anger, but did not try to vault over it.

Instead, Valor slashed through the wall and threw it's shield as a discus at the jet. Balder clicked his fingers, and Temperantia swatted the flying projectile towards the earth. The Auditio faded away into nothing as Bayonetta stepped forward, several weaves launching from her fingertips as missiles towards the offending angel. They slammed into it, then a well-timed missile from Jeanne sent the colossal angel following its shield.

"I guess you are good for something." Jeanne joked, hen grew serious. "Here they come!"

Damien turned behind them to see a pair of Glamor's wriggling towards them, spikes of ice already flying at the jet. This time it was Balder who played defensively, and a barrier slammed into the projectiles, halting them. Damien twisted around and raised his free arm up, and then a meteor shower rained onto the pair, clobbering them down and towards the ground.

They were almost at the mountain. Damien teleported onto the jet and glanced to the witch and the sage.

"Well, are we ready?" He asked, and they both nodded. The cockpit popped open, and Jeanne climbed out.

"Aim for that outcropping." The witch in red pointed down, and all three spotted it instantly. Nodding to each of them, Damien scooped up Jeanne and jumped down, Balder following after and Bayonetta taking up the rear.

They all landed onto the ground, and glanced up to see the jet slam into an Insidious.

"We can't waste any more time." Balder growled, then transformed into his wolf within. "This way!"

Bayonetta followed suit, Jeanne transforming a second after her. Damien sighed to himself, but followed obediently, teleported up the stairs in portions.

They all arrived at a giant pair of doors. Balder transformed back, glaring at it.

"He is just beyond that door." He stated the obvious, but it was easy to see that he was trying to calm himself. "It's time to face destiny, and judgement!"

Damien nodded. Jeanne growled. Bayonetta kicked the door down, and the quartet ran forward.


	20. Chapter 19: The God of Chaos

_Author's note: Final Chapter! Epilogue will be posted soon, once I have written it. As always, I do not own Bayonetta._

Chapter 19: The God of Chaos

The four arrived stopped in their tracks with undisguised shock on each of their faces; Hope lay on the floor, seemingly dead. Luka was nowhere to be seen. Loki, however, was alive and in the grasp of their newest foe.

The Prophetic One, Loptr, stood before them in his full glory. His skin crawled with tattoos, his body was hidden behind a cloak-like pale cloth that was cut into the shape of a diamond, and golden ornaments adorned his body. His blue lips were curled into a grin, and his eyes shined with insanity.

"So, it has come to this, my 'better' half." The mad prophet held his counterpart by his throat, lifting him well above the ground, ignoring the new groups arrival. "You and me, atop this mountain once again. Like it always has been."

"Stop this!" The boy choked out. "Loptr, you are completely insane if you think I'm just gonna give up my power!"

"Oh, I know you are not. This part has been played out to me several times over." He smiled at him, and turned to face the four newcomers, a twinkle in his eye. "But I will take it, eventually, when it is so desired in due time."

He tossed him to the side, not caring how he landed. Spreading his arms out in a welcoming gesture, he greeted them jovially. "Finally, as it was foretold. The Left Eye and the Right Eye, finally within my grasp again, upon this mountain. My destiny is simply a matt-"

"Little one!" Bayonetta broke into a run and launched herself to the young God's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He coughed and gave her a cocky grin. "Don't worry about me, love! Worry about this asshole!"

She smiled softly, then turned up to see Loptr looking at her with a mixture of boredom and disdain.

"Interruptions; how rude. The emotions of an Umbra are still quite the show." He said, mirroring his words to her, a year ago. "Without it, you are nothing. With it, you are a liability."

"There is nothing you can say to me!" The witch hissed, and even Balder was taken back by the venom behind those words. "You tore my family apa- no, you have torn thousands, millions of families apart! All for what?"

"Mortals are just playthings." The tattooed man seemingly pushed away her accusation. "If there was nothing to tell them what to do, they would have killed each other anyway. It has been proven several times in my lifetime either way.; that is the prophecy of man. It is quite 'as foretold', or so they say."

"As foretold? That's a lie if I have ever heard one." Damien glared at the figure. "You were the one to bring upon this ruin!"

"I did not. My former selves did. I am merely propagating their failures into my success." The Prophet smiled as he set his gaze upon the winged man. "You are correct, in a way. It is not foretold, predicted or prophesised; it is simply an inevitability."

"If its so inevitable, why haven't you won yet?" The Shuraba snapped into his hand, then was raised to his shoulder height as he took his stance.

"I have the patience to wait this out." Loptr gestured around them, to the mountaintop. "Look at this place; thousands of years of repetition and preparation has shaped this place into one purpose and one purpose only. Thousands of years of failure, slowly creeping towards success. Millions of years of testing, of slightly changing. My victory will be hard earned, yes, but it will come eventually."

"The Eyes will never fall under your hand again, Aesir." Balder stepped forward. "You separated them to give humanity a choice; our choice is to not let your tyranny encompass this world again!"

"Tyranny?" Loptr turned to the Ssage, confusion on his features. "What tyranny? I gave my Eyes in order to give humanity a choice, and now humanities choices have drawn me to the conclusion that I need the power to reshape the world anew. One where humanity only follows one will, one purpose, as to never stray towardsfrom the light, or the dark. It can't be trusted with its own choice, for it will only decide what is best for itself."

"To what end!?" Jeanne stepped forward, pointing a gun forward. "Why re-make the world?"

"Ah, Jeanne. You were… You know what? I really do not care about dodging or hiding the truth anymore." Loptr turned to her and smiled a sad smile. "It was most unfortunate that you were required to die for my plans to come to fruition."

"What?" Damien started. Jeanne scowled, staring at the man with unbridled hatred.

"Cast your minds and memories back to your past; when you left him." Loptr smirked, and the pair's faces paled. "My predecessor from the future? The past? Either way, he had put himself into you." The blue-clad man pointed at the witch in red as he did so, his smile growing wider by the second. "This was a planned occurrence; he told me of his, plan B, as he called it. But I knew that if he fell to you, he would simply be handicapping himself inside the weakest vessel of them all. Plans were made to dispose of you at the proper time, but it's never too early to call something a… precaution. So I enlisted the help of your scorned Infernals to take your soul, to kill your body, and to get rid of him permanently. Now , so he wouldn't interfere in my moment of triumph, he couldn't stop me from achieving my destiny. Because this is my world. My world! And no other version of me will share it!"

Bayonetta shot to her feet and pointed her gun at the God. "You did what!?"

"I simply cut your control of your known Infernal demons. And with love comes predictability, alongside hatred and repetition, and you sacrificed yourself quite readily." Loptr grinned. "Everyone They always fall into my plan. They always do."

"You killed Jeanne? For nothing!?" Damien's face was murderous as he too finally realised the answer to the important question of all.

Why. Why this was all happening. Why the event that pulled them all to this accursed mountain had transpired.

"Why does it matter? She is pointless and weak. You would almost be better off letting her die." The Prophetic One argued, laughing at their aggravation. "I suppose weak people must be surrounded with power; since it will be the closest thing to a purpose they will ever have. I suppose your mother would agree. Wouldn't you say so too, Jeanne?"

The witch in red paled, and Damien felt his blood boil. However, BBayonetta beat him to the chasepoint. Screaming, she launched herself with an afterburner kick, a wicked stomp following her. Loptr rolled his eyes and clicked his fingers. She froze mid-kick, and a small barrier formed around the two.

Balder, Damien and Jeanne scrambled forward, slamming their fists, weapons and weaves against it to no avail.

"The overseer of darkness; The Left Eye." The God walked forward and put a hand possessively onto her cheek, stroking it as he would a cat. "It has been a long time since I have truly gazed upon you. Nearly five hundred years have passed since we were separated from looking at each other; I have missed you dearly."

"You will not touch my sister!" Damien roared, and a meteor flew out of his palm.

And bounced off the barrier and flew into the distance.

"Let her go!" Jeanne screamed. Loptr smiled at her and turned his attention back to the witch in his hand. "Let her go, you bastard!"

"Oh, I will." He gripped her skull, and she screamed. He was tearing into her psyche, and she could feel his psychic hands pulling at the Eye. "Once I have taken what is rightfully mine!"

Her body went limp as the red energy of the Left Eye was pulled out of her and roiled about in his fist. Tossing her aside, he let the power sink into his arm, and his eyes widened at the power within.

"My, you have gotten stronger over time, my Left Eye." Loptr smiled, and then grabbed the unconscious body of Bayonetta. "You wanted her back, didn't you?"

The barrier faded as he threw the witch towards a pillar. She hit it hard, her back wrapping around it, and then she collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out of her shoulder..

"Cereza!" Jeanne screamed and ran to the body, calling her name and trying to shake her awake. Balder flinched and stared at her in confusion.

"Don't worry about her, Balder. She has fulfilled her part, and now it's time for you to as well. Also iIt is very sad that you never learned the truth of your relationship to her. I would say it'sIt's rather… poetic." The Sage turned to the God, his mind too busy at the name rather than the threat. Damien had noticed as well and ran in between Loptr and the stunned man.

"No! You have done far too much already." He gripped the Shuraba a little tighter. "I will not allow you to do anymore."

"How can you think of standing in my way, when you have nothing compared to me?" Loptr laughed. "You are nothing but a science experiment, and an imperfect one at that!"

"As long as I am still here, you will never win!" He roared, sending a slice at the man. The Prophet rolled his eyes again and clicked his fingers. Damien froze mid swing, and his eyes widened as he tried to break free of the spell. Loptr walked towards him, his face turning into a frown on every step.

"You are an interesting one, Damien." He stopped when he was right in front of the man. "From a mere mortal, to the ultimate vessel, all because of me and my machinations. You owe everything to me, yet you will never thank me-"

His head tilted, and his eyes widened as he recognised a familiar aura from within the man. "Oh, you have made everything so much easier, Balder. He was right. So wonderfully right."

Damien's eyes furrowed as he partially broke free. "Wh…at are you tal…king about?"

"A noble decision." Loptr gingerly placed his hand onto his cheek, his grin growing. "But as all things, predictable with the passing of time."

Grabbing his head, he began to drain his will and claw into his psyche. Damien screamed, and Jeanne turned in fear. Realising what was happening, she stared in horror as a blue energy was transferred from the winged man into the Prophet, and his Right Eye began to glow blue.

"Balder was somewhat wise to hide it in you." Loptr drawled and threw the exhausteddrained man to the side, Jeanne running after him and catching him before he fell off the mountain. "But you were the idiot to travel directly to me."

Balder stood steadfast, his eyes darting between the crumpled and bleeding witch and the laughing Prophet. Making his decision, he turned and sprinted to Bayonetta, grabbing her hand and head, cradling the latter.

"Cereza?" He called, desperation leaking into his tone. "Cereza!?"

"Don't worry about your 'beloved' child." Loptr was beginning to glow as he began to walk towards Loki. "You have already shown her enough love and devotion to your pathetic family to benefit me more."

"B-bal…" She was weakly pushing him and his eyes snapped to her pain-filled grey ones. "Y-you…"

"Cereza…" He grabbed her other hand. "My daughter…"

"You… kno-w?" She was beginning to cry. His eyes began to glow blaze as he nodded in reply. He felt nauseous. He had done this to her. He had done everything to her.

"How dare you…" He turned to the man, glaive snapping into his hand, a murderous intent filling his void. "You dared to turn me against my own blood?!"

"It was only fitting that the father so desperate to see his daughter;" Loptr stopped and looked down at the retreating child at his feet. "Would be the one to end her life. Except you couldn't. Because even in your anger, you are weak. You are useless."

With a scream of pure fury, he tossed the glaive as a javelin, and it slammed into the back of him in an ineffectual blow.

"Oh please." Loptr turned, his eyes not betraying his boredom. "Please don't tell me you expected that to work."

Balder resummoned the glaive back to his side and pointed it at him. "Your arrogance will be your undoing!"

"Against what? Your righteous rage?" Loptr shook his head sadly. "Let that rage consume you, let it fill you with the fury you have kept bottled up over the years. I welcome it."

Balder continued to glare, his expression growing darker by the minute. He knew he had to calm down, otherwise he would do something extremely reckless and potentially suicidal. But he couldn't. This God had done far too much against his family, his friends and his allies. There was no way he could be tempering in this situation.

"Yaahooo!" An unexpected voice called out, and the Prophet whirled back to see Loki gone. Balder glanced around in surprise, but did not take his eyes off of the God for too long.

"What was that?" He turned around in confusion, looking for his other half. "Where did he go?"

"Luka…" Bayonetta had dragged herself into a seated position. "Not even a God can see him coming."

"This Ggod does not bother with the machinations of insects, and has had enough of your hijinks." Loptr turned to the four scattered Umbra and Lumen. "Return to me what is rightfully mine, or you will all die a slow and painful death."

And with that final statement, his body glowed brighter than any sun, and then died down to show a blue and red coloured being in the centre of the clearing. A cloak made of light portraited his back in a diamond shaped void, and his cloth garments were gone. The world around them was splintering as blue energy began to encompass the air around the mountain.

Balder's eyes narrowed at the sight. He wasn't truly a god yet, since he was missing his Sovereign Power, but this would be unlike anything he had ever faced before. Malefagor, the Umbra Witch's, his Lumen brothers; they would all pale in comparison.

It didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"The power to unmake and recreatefix the world, all at my fingertips. All that is missing is the power to control these Eyes, the Sovereign power that Loki possesses. Yet another 'failsafe' by my better half that is simply just a matter of time to undo." Aesir's voice was almost Loptr's in every single way, except it was farr more deeper and more powerful than its previous incarnation. "And what chance do you have, Daddy dearest, against the might of a God? You killed your wife. You are killing your child. You killed them both because you were weak and subservient to me! You expect to be able to beat the one person who has controlled every aspect of your life?"."

"You are no God!" He rebutted, his glaive disappearing as his peacock wings burst from his back. Holding his arms out, he rose into the sky, dwarfing Aesir on size alone. "I, the last Lumen Sage Balder, swear that you will fall on this day for the sins you have committed!"

"And you will stop me?" He mocked, shaking his head. "Tell me, Balder; I have mastery over two Eye's. You can barely control yours. How are you going to win?"

"I have more reason to win." He snarled, then teleported to the God's startled face and exploded a fireball in it. Grunting in annoyance, the God flickered backwards, wiping some invisible dirt off is body. "You turned me against my own flesh and blood, lied to me, and placedthrow tens of thousands of lives onto my conscious, onto me, to fulfil your distorted and insane dtwisted desires!"

"What I told you was the truth." Aesir smirked. "From a certain point of view. And besides, you were quite willing to let yourself become the thrall."

"You killed everyone…" Jeanne's small voice answered, and both Sage and God turned to her. "You killed everyone, over what? A mad dream?!"

"Mad?" Aesir looked appalled. "I am not mad! It is you mortals who have gone insane, and you all need me to fix it!"

"Mortals can make their own fucking path." Jeanne stood up, All 4 One now gripped tightly in her hands. "We may falter, we may stumble, but our greatest strength is that we will fix what is wrong; what is made wrong from us can be made right again through our fucking hands, not yours!"

"You want to challenge me?" Aesir grinded his teeth. "You think that you can win this fight? You are the weakest witch I have ever laid my eyes on. It's a wonder you were ever considered for the Eye, let alone the mantle of Umbra Witch."

"A Witch's strength comes from her emotions, and not her mastery of our Arts." Bayonetta looked up at Jeanne as she began to stalk towards the God. "You killed me. You harmed my sister, my only family left in this world. And you will not dare touch him again!"

"You will not dare touch him. _You will not dare touch him? _Your little lover has truly outlived his usefulness, something he rarely ever had." Aesir mocked her, mimicking her voice. "And I think you need a good dose of reality from within your memories. You can't win this fight."

He clicked his fingers, and the world went dark.

…

_Jeanne watched as her mother stared at her in suspicion._

"_Jeanne, what is this?" She held up a black toy cat. "Why do you have a second one?"_

"_I…" She swallowed. "I got it for Cereza!"_

"_For C- For that abomination?!" Her mother started in surprise. "Why?"_

"_Her one is broken, and I thought-" She tried to explain, but she was cut off._

"_You thought? Jeanne, you do not think! You never speak to that abomination again! The only thing that is important to you is your studies, and that is final!"_

"_Mummy, she is a per-" She was silenced by a slap to her cheek._

"_You will forget her." Her mother threatened, then clicked her fingers. The toy cat burst into flames and then was dropped onto the stone floor. "Useless bitch."_

_Watching her mother stalk off, muttering words under her breath, she pulled Charles closer to her._

"_It's okay, she still loves me." She said to herself, trying to make the words real. "She still loves me."_

…

_Her mother rounded on her as they arrived home._

"_What the fuck were you thinking!? Trying to summon Madama Khepri?!" She screamed. _

"_I wanted-" Jeanne tried, but was cut off instantly._

"_It's always what you want, you spoiled brat! First you turn up late, along with the abomination, then you get rejected by your first demon summon? You are nothing but an embarrassment to me!"_

"_Mummy, I-"_

"_Silence! No more Jeanne! It's such a wonder how you managed to be born from me!" Her mother turned her heel and stalk away, leaving the teen by herself._

…

"_Why are you always so bruised and battered after classes?" Her mother asked as she sat down, their meal being placed as they arrived to the table. "Are you getting into fights again?"_

"_No mummy." Jeanne shook her head, trying not to be sudden with her movements. "I've stopped getting into fights years ago _

"_Are you going to explain why?" The Elder folded her arms and glared down at her._

"_I want to prove myself to you." She answered in a soft voice. "I want to be-"_

"_You are a disgrace if all you do is lose to the other witches." Her mother held up a hand. "Don't speak again."_

…

"_You let her defeat you?!" Her mother was beyond furious now. Jeanne cowered, and she felt shame at herself._

_Why couldn't she stand up for herself?_

"_She beat me fairly and-" She tried._

"_No! Your stupid fondness for the abomination has finally led to you destroy the Witches and my family's reputation!" Her mother slapped her. "You good for nothing child!"_

_She slapped her again, and Jeanne tried to keep her composure from spilling._

"_I'm sorry! I should have been stronger, I should-" She was nearly crying._

"_You should have. That's all it is with you. Should. Should have done this, should have done that. You were supposed to keep the Eye out of her reach!" Her mother slapped her a final time. "I hope you get to live with your failure. You are no daughter of mine."_

_Jeanne broke down as her mother left her for the last time._

…

_Mummy was dead. Cereza was asleep. Her friends were all dead._

_She was truly alone. _

_Jeanne hugged her knees as she tried to stop crying. She was unloved by everyone, and everyone she knew was gone. All because of her arrogance and insistence to prove that she was the best. _

_Perhaps Mummy was right. Perhaps she was nothing but a failure._

"You need to move._" Styx was speaking to her. "_You need to move before he finds you, and all your work is for nothing!_"_

_Right. She had to leave this lake. She had to leave Vigrid._

_She pulled out Angel Slayer and held it in one hand. "I will not fall further than I did today. I swear this."_

_Jeanne lifted the blade and sliced it through her buns, letting her severed hair fall to the ground. She knew she didn't have to cut it, but his way it was physical. _

_There would be no turning back._

…

_Jeanne awoke to complete darkness. Frowning, she pulled herself to her feet, and turned around, trying to find a sign of anything._

_Damien stared back at her, his eyes soft. She gasped and stumbled backwards._

_He was as she remembered. On that first day, where she had lied and comforted him, knowing he was going to become an experiment for the madman in her head. Where she had told him that someone did care for him, and then lead him into twenty years of torture._

"_Who-?" She asked, words spilling out of her mouth. "How-?"_

"_I'm not Damien." He smirked, his green eyes flashing. "I'm the manifestation of your guilt."_

"_My guilt?" Jeanne tilted her head as she regained her senses properly. "Are we in-"_

"_Your mind? Yes." Another Damien walked out from behind her. This one had two useless flaps on his back and was just wearing pants. His body was sickly thin, and she knew this was from when he was just starting the experiments. "This is all you and your doing."_

"_Something you need to really come to terms with." A third Damien approached from the left, dressed in his Sephiroth outfit, and his hair still the short blonde locks it used to be. _

"_Which means I know everything in your mind." A final Damien walked out. This was the one she most familiar with now, and he was clad in his greyed-out Lumen garb. "We can help you."_

"_But if this is my mind, you aren't real. None of you are." She pushed a hand through the one in front of her. "Then how can you help?" She spread her hands out wide and shattered the two illusions beside of her._

_A hand was placed onto her shoulder, and she turned to the current Damien behind her. _

_The real one._

"_Aesir is trying to pull you into your own memories." He explained. "I'm trying to hold him off as best as I can, but I can't keep him, and I certainly can't break it. You have to force him out of your mind."_

"_How?" Jeanne let her head fall down, her hair obscuring her face. "I'm weak. Every single thing he said is true, and you know it!"_

"_Why can't you see you see that you have the strength to fight?" He asked, and she shoved him away._

"_I've never been strong enough! I failed to prove my worth several thousand times over! Whenever I am entrusted with something, I fuck it all up!" She turned away. "I failed every time."_

"_I don't see that." He shook his head. "You are too harsh on yourself."_

"_What else am I supposed to say?" She turned back, tears in her eyes. "Look at what happened between me and you! I fucked everything up, because I'm selfish, disgraceful, slutty-"_

"_Please! Jeanne! You did nothing! You swore that you would never fall further! You never did; Aesir forcibly changed you, and then I ruined your trust in me." Damien shook his head. "I know you have the strength to stand and fight. I know that you have always pushed yourself beyond the limits of what was thought possible, to try to impress someone, anyone to show them your worth." His eyes were tearing up. "All you wanted was to be recognised for what you are."_

"_Even if I believed that, I can't beat Aesir. Balder can't beat him." She looked up at him and shook her head. "We can't win!"_

"_Have we?" His eyes twinkled. Jeanne frowned, and her eyes narrowed. "Who is the person who pushed Bayonetta to the limit?"_

"_You?"_

"_Who is the one who pushed me to the limit?"_

"_Bayonetta did!" She was getting confused now. "What do you mean?"_

"_Who charged directly at a God, not caring about the consequences?" He asked, folding his arms._

"_Bayonetta!" She turned away. "What are you trying to say, Damien?"_

"_Jeanne." He tilted his head. "Who was the one who managed to evade someone for almost four hundred years, who managed to keep their sanity because they were alone for four hundred years, who is the one who has never broken for four hundred years because they had the fate of the entire universe on their shoulders? Who is the one who carried the legacy of the Umbra on her shoulders, and continues to do so to this day?"_

"_I ran away. Like a coward!" She screamed in frustration. "I should have challenged and defeated Balder when I had the chance!"_

"_You are the smartest woman I know, Jeanne. You know all of your strengths, you know every single one of your weaknesses. When you aren't trying to impress, when you aren't trying to prove yourself to someone, you_ are_ the strongest Umbra Witch. Far beyond what your mother and Bayonetta could ever see you achieve, or what they could." He opened his arms, and she accepted his embrace. "You can see that, can't you?"_

"_I don't know." She whispered. "I…"_

"_Tell me Jeanne, what do you want?" He whispered back. "At the end of all of this, what do you want from all of this?"_

_Silence reigned as she mulled over his question._

"_I want to be accepted." Jeanne answered. Damien laughed, and then smiled. _

"_You already have."_

_Her eyes widened, then she returned his smile._

_She believed that. _

_She could believe anything._

…

Aesir flew backwards, shock plastered on his features.

"Impossible… You are the weakest! The weak link of you four!" He snarled as he pulled himself back to his feet. "How?!"

Jeanne sat back up, noticing Balder giving her a look of concern. She turned to see Damien smiling painfully at her, his eyes shining with hope, the glow of his pupils fading.

He believed in her. Bayonetta had always believed in her.

She was beginning to believe in her.

Her confidence renewed, she pulled herself up to her feet. Aesir was glaring at her, confusion lacing his expression.

"You can't hold me down any longer." Her voice was serene. Bayonetta's eyes widened at her tone, and even Balder did a double take. "I am the heir to the Umbran Throne. You are just another evil that needs to be vanquished from this world!"

"You would willingly work with him!" Aesir stood himself back upright, his eyes flaring. "After everything he has done to you?"

"You did all of that to me." Her voice was now deadly quiet. "You simply wore his face."

She glanced to the Sage beside her. "Let's kill this bastard."

He grunted in response. "Be my guest."

Balder surged forward, a blade of light snapping out of his palm. Aesir levitated in response, blue magic forming in his palms. Jeanne sprinted forward, her guns blazing.

The final battle had truly begun.

…

"Kid! Loki!" Luka gently placed down the young boy onto the stone, taking care not to aggravate any injuries. "You alright?"

"I've felt a lot better, pervert." He answered, smirking slightly. "But there are far more important things to worry about."

"Lord Aesir… I was right." The man pulled off his hat and threw it down. "He's almost regained his true form."

"The Sovereign Power." Loki placed a hand onto his chest. "We cannot let him reach it."

"I think that man and Jeanne have a good chance of killing him." Luka puffed his chest out slightly. "And besides, Bayonetta and Damien are there. They have got this."

"You can't kill Aesir, or any part of him." The boy shook his head. "You need to know that the only person on this planet who can kill him, in this universe, is me."

"Why don't you kill him them?" Luka peeked over the small wall to see Aesir fly backwards, and Jeanne regaining her feet. "You can, right?"

"I…" The boy looked crestfallen. "I can't kill him. I don't want to kill him."

"Loki, he killed you!" He threw his hands into the air in exasperation. "Fuck! What does a guy have to do to die at your hand?"

"Because all mistakes can be made right again!" Loki hissed. "That's the disagreement we always had. I should do what I should have done, millions of years ago."

"Which is?" Luka turned to the young God.

"If it comes to that, I'll tell you when." Loki pulled out his cards and began to shuffle them. "We need to be ready, if that time comes."

…

Aesir flickered out of their reach, his mouth taunting them continuously with a smile. Retreating slightly, both Balder and Jeanne scrutinised the God, reassessing the situation.

"Why do you bother? You cannot defeat someone who knows your every move." He stated, lazily moving to the left to avoid a couple of bullets. "Give me the boy, and this will all be a lot less painful."

"It's no bloody use." Jeanne snarled. "Now what can we do?"

"Something unexpected." Balder began to circle around Aesir, his palms crackling with energy. The God didn't bother watching him, and instead continued to focus on her.

_Well, what could she do that was unexpected?_

Jeanne fired two bullets, one to each side of his head. The God did not flinch, but he definitely didn't see an All 4 One flying into his nose.

Aesir grunted in pain, and closed his eyes. The second he did, Jeanne sprang forward, her heels blazing and a familiar katana swiping at his neck. Several bullets managed to impact onto his skin, but Angel Slayer was caught and shoved away by an armoured palm. Retreating back again, she found Damien standing at her side as she stood up again, holding the katana down.

"Finally." Aesir grinned wildly. "Something new. Although you using that stupid sword is not necessarily new, but I will give you-"

Bayonetta never let him finish. She slid in with a heel slide, a wicked sweep following her path. Dematerialising slightly, Aesir let the attack pass through him, then he swung in with two giant blue fists, punching the ground after her.

"Is that the extent of your powers?" He mocked. "I am simply untouchable."

Balder crashed into his back, hundreds of feathers following him. Snarling in pain as several punctured and stuck into his flesh, the God smashed his elbow into the Sage's head, then grabbed him and-

Damien caught him with a variant of the afterburner kick, and Balder flew from his grasp. Shuraba flickered in and out, stabbing and slicing into his body. Roaring with pain, Aesir grabbed the sword and this time, successfully tossed him away.

Two weaves slammed into his side, and then two pairs of fists began to send flurries of red and blue energies into his other. Recovering enough, he flicked his wrist at the sky, and lightning pillars rained down onto the two witches, scattering them. Grunting, he turned his attention to the two Umbra, only to see a gigantic fist slam into his face.

Another one slammed into his back, and he was only barely conscious of the fact that he was being used as a tennis ball between two Temperentia's.

Dematerialising himself, he passed through the golden Auditio and began to regain his senses. Spotting the pair of Sage's on the ground below, he snarled and gestured forward.

A portal opened up behind him, and missiles from time past flew from it, all aimed at the pair. Their summons disappeared into gold and red respectively as they both channelled their powers for a defensive barrier.

Bayonetta jumped up to him, wings sprouting from her back. Two sweeps slammed into his side, then a wicked kick pushed him further into the sky.

And away from the mountains.

He had had enough of playing around. He froze time for Bayonetta, then grabbed her by her shoulder, his fingers digging deep into her puncture, and then tossed her at the speed of sound into the ground.

This time, she did not move after her 'landing'.

"Cereza!" All three of his adversaries screamed, and Aesir chuckled.

"Tell me, do you all expect to win?" He hesitated, as he finally realised that something was missing. He brushed it off. "After all, I have a lot more than time on my side."

…

"Hope?" Luka gently shook the Joy, and her eyes fluttered open. "Hope!"

"_Luka… Is he… Is everything…?"_ She asked, her eyes darting around in a panic.

"It's alright love. He hasn't won yet. As far as I know, he doesn't know where I am." Loki put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Not for long." Luka glanced over the rock to watch Aesir throw Jeanne back with a blast of blue energy. "We need to think of something fast."

_It's the damn Eyes. _Damien's voice echoed in their heads. _If he didn't have those, this would be a whole lot easier._

"I guess there is no time than right now." The young God put his hands in his pockets. "I can remove the Eye's from existence."

"You can?!" Luka jumped in surprise. "Then why the fuck haven't you?"

"Because I am not willing to stake the destruction of this entire universe to stop one person." He retorted. Luka promptly closed his mouth, biting his argument away. "Unless our friends can't defeat him, I do not want to touch this option with a million mile pole."

_There's two Right Eyes of the overseer. _Damien pointed out. _Surely we only need the one._

Hope tilted her head as she dragged herself into a seated position. "_He's right, you know._"

"Yeah, but that doesn't solve the issue of the Left Eye." Loki pointed out. "He's much more than a match for any of you with just the one."

"_Hold on a second._" The Joy pressed a hand to her forehead. "_Is there anyway to remove the Left Eye?"_

"I could, but that means letting myself be put into the grasp of Aesir, which means he gets the Sovereign power." Loki shook his head.

_Loptr apparently put some part of himself in me during the experiments. _Damien announced after a small gap of silence. _I figured out that yesterday, so I could have something inside of me that can help._

"I'll have a look, but don't be surprised if I find nothing." The young God closed his eyes, and the symbol on his forehead began to glow. He gasped, then opened his eyes as they shined with hope.

"_What did you find, Sovereign One?_" Hope looked to him in surprise.

"I have a fucking plan. Let's go."

…

"Jeanne, Damien! To me!" Balder gestured to Jeanne and Damien, and the pair ran/teleported respectively to his side. Raising his arms, Damien started by summoning a tornado, surrounding the God in the centre of the room.

"A gust of wind." Aesir chuckled. "It's my orders you must obey."

He started to approach the swirling wind, his hands readying a pair of beams.

"Feel your fear!" Jeanne burst through, four wicked weaves slamming into the God's face and chest. Stunning him, she pressed on with a barrage of wicked kicks, and then Madama Styx herself appeared and headbutted him to finish the onslaught. She then slipped outside of the tornado before he had an opportunity to recover and catch her.

Flames licked at his feet as Damien swooped in from above, magic swirling in his palms. Fire burst from his palms, burning and immolating all it touched. Aesir cried out in pain as he felt his skin blacken under the intensity of the flames, and then lightning coursed through his body as Damien summoned several bolts to strike within the tornado. Just like Jeanne, he slipped away before Aesir could recover.

"AS FORNADO!" Balder's voice called out, and meteors began to rain down from outside of the tornado, onto the mostly helpless God. Grunting with pain, Aesir's eyes flashed their respective colours, and a small barrier formed around him.

"Enough." He clicked his fingers, and their spells dissipated. Teleporting to Jeanne first, he sent a flurry of punches and kicks at her, moving almost as fast as light, finishing her off with a shove with his illusory hands. Damien called her name out, then was stunned as Aesir slowed time down for him until he was almost statue-esque. Balder rushed forward, the blade of light swinging in large arcs at him. Throwing up a small barrier, he summoned two spheres of blue energy, then tossed them at the Sage. Balder cancelled his attack and began to retreat under the onslaught.

"You cannot fathom my power." Aesir twisted his body, then opened another portal. A familiar satellite popped through, and then it blasted the trio with a massive laser beam.

When the dust had settled, the only one left standing was the God. Bayonetta had not yet moved from her position, whereas the other three were slowly reorientating themselves.

Aesir stared at his four adversaries with contempt. "I knew that you four were going to be annoying. I just was never told how much."

Damien stabbed the Shuraba into the ground and lifted himself onto his knees. "We are glad to have exceeded your expectations."

"I'm annoyed more than anything." Aesir gestured to him. "You are nothing, yet you can somehow defeat me? I put in a safety valve in you specifically so you couldn't become a liability!"

"Oh, the whole thing that your other self already wasted?" Damien smirked. "I am not going to become another's pawn. Never again."

"It is not about to matter." Aesir turned around arrogantly, flaunting his back to them. "You are all failing. None of you can best me, and the time to retake the Sovereign power draws near."

"You have not won yet…" Balder coughed as he too, pulled himself up by his glaive. "As long as any one who opposes you draws breath, you can never win!"

"You pathetic four are the only things standing between me and the Sovereign Power. A dying witch. A weak and insolent slut. A stupid and terrible excuse for a father. And some random mortal who is only here because he let some slut sweet talk him into pity sex." He turned back, his eyes mocking them with fake disappointment. "You all are collectively blights' on your respective affiliated allies. Now, for the last time, where is he?"

"Hey, you idiot shitface!" Loki jumped over a small rock, two cards held in each hand. "You want the Sovereign Power? How about you fucking come and get it!"

"You…" Aesir began to laugh. "You really think you can challenge the might of a God?" He reached out, and Loki was flying towards him, arms and legs waving around, trying to grab hold of anything. Loptr's hand slid around his neck, and the two were finally reunited.

"No!" Jeanne screamed in agony, and Aesir responded by flicking a boulder into her head, knocking her out momentarily.

"Quiet. It's time for the adults to talk." The God smiled at the squirming boy in his hand. "How does it feel, to know my victory is at hand?"

"Fuck…you…" Loki managed to spit out, and Aesir nodded in acknowledgement.

"You will never change." His eyes began to glow blue and red respectively. "Now, it's time for the universe and I to become one once more."

"Loki, now!" Damien crashed into the God, his hands tightly gripping his head. Loki popped up from behind the wall, cards already flying at the three in the centre of the clearing, all aimed at his right eye.

"What the-" Aesir stumbled as the cards disappeared, and then the blue glow of Right Eye disappeared. He turned to the grinning Loki, realisation dawning on him. "No!"

The Loki in his grip immediately transformed back into Hope, and her sword snaked out and sliced his wrist off.

Aesir screamed as the Joy fell from his grip, and then the red glow of the Left Eye began to fade as well.

"How is this possible!?" The God was shaking violently, trying to throw the winged man from his back. "No one but me commands this power!"

"Perhaps you shouldn't give me that power as well." Damien threw himself backwards, the Left Eye held in his hand. "Bayonetta!"

Launching the Eye, he watched with amazement as it impacted her chest, and then was absorbed into her body. Within seconds, her cuts had stopped bleeding.

Then they began to heal.

"What have you done!?" Aesir's form was slipping between his former and current body, his voice straining with the discomfort.

"The real power of Aesir, is the power of nothingness." Loki vaulted over the wall, Luka following him. "The power to unmake anything he has created."

"You would willingly-" The God was launched by a wicked weave, then slammed into the ground by another one. Bayonetta was charging forward, her Left Eye glowing a bright red.

"And that extends to pesky spells that kill my friends." The young God folded his arms as Hope stood next to him, her sword at the ready. "If only you didn't have the arrogance to assume that Damien wouldn't use the gifts you had personally given him, five years ago."

"They were not-" He coughed, but was silenced by a white and pink weave slamming into his head.

"And besides, what can be done once, can be done again." Loki finished. "You stealing the eyes gave me the idea to unlock Damien's abilities to do it himself. Did you see that one coming?"

Aesir pulled himself to his feet, breathing heavily. "These transgressions will not be forgotten, I swear it!"

A black wicked weave slammed into his chest, forcing him down to his knees.

"Give it up mate, you've lost." Loki extended a hand out. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

"You'll never trap me inside of your prison of Aesir again!" The God growled, then was launched upwards by a fire pillar. Balder grabbed him by his shoulder at the apex, his eyes burning. Aesir looked into them, trying to appear confident, trying to keep the appearance that everything was part of the plan.

Instead he felt fear for the first time in eons.

The Sage pulled his other fist back and gave the God a punch. A punch full of emotion, a punch full of pain, a punch for everyone who had suffered in the mad God's schemes.

Falling back to the ground at supersonic speeds, Aesir slammed into the stone and blasted it apart, forming a deep crater. Damien teleport inside of it, slammed Shuraba into his shoulder, then Angel Slayer into his other.

"…please…" Aesir croaked out, but the winged man did not give him a moment's hesitation.

"You do not deserve pity." He coldly replied, then jumped out of the crater.

"A GRAA ORS…" Bayonetta shouted out, and her father landed behind her.

"…SIZICIEL…" He waved his hand, and the ground began to rumble.

"…TABAORD…" She drew her hands to her chest, then, spread them out wide.

"…HONONOL…" Balder raised his hand to the sky, and it began to darken.

"…AVAVAGO!" Bayonetta slid forward and onto her knees, and her hair flew from her body, spiralling up into the sky.

"…OBELISION" Balder brought his hand down as golden strings burst from around his body and snaked towards the mass of hair. Damien stared coldly as they weaved together, forming a whirling mass of energy and hair.

"Hold on; it took two witches to summon Sheba, right?" The winged man turned to Jeanne, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes..?" Jeanne answered, her expression also reflecting the same confusion he felt.

"So what did they summon?" They both returned their view to watch the ball begin to shape itself into a gigantic person.

…

For the first time in the history of the universe, Omne existed in all their glory. The demon/angel hybrid let the cool air of the mountain flow over them, and they let out a sigh as they listened to the sounds of the planet.

Glancing down, the ethereal being finally saw the reason of their summoning. The blight that had existed for far too long. His eyes were bulging out, and his mouth was opening and closing, like a stuck fish.

They looked to the side and noticed the four mortals that had summoned them. They tilted their head, then gave them a wink and a smile. They understood their plight.

Hell, if they were being honest, they didn't quite want the world to end either.

They gave them a wink, then turned back to the false God on the ground. Their features curled into a frown, then they raised their right foot.

The swords disappeared before their heel crushed him into dust.

…

As the hair and golden strings unweaved themselves, a blue figure pulled themselves out of the flattened Loptr, momentarily surprising the four.

"My, my... You managed to best me… truly." Loptr/Aesir's spirit sounded shaken, but the arrogant tone still laced his words. "It's a major setback, but there is no shame in running away. After all, I have all the time to do so."

Loki's eyes widened. "Quick! Someone! Stop him!" A portal opened up behind the blue spirit. "He is going to escape back into time, and all of our actions will be for nothing!"

"Trying to escape?" Loptr-Aesir laughed. "I am merely trying to move destiny along its predetermined path."

Damien glanced at Balder, and he didn't need to read his mind to know that this was the time.

This was Balder's fate. He was to take in the spirit and begin a whole cycle of torture for millions of people.

_All stone can be shattered._

His own words were coming back to haunt him. He glanced over to Jeanne, and his heart broke. He knew what he had to do. He knew what his destiny truly was.

And if he survived, she was going to kill him.

Bayonetta began to move forward, apparently realising what was about to occur, and so did Jeanne. They weren't fast enough, as Balder charged forward, a resigned look in his eye, and lips curled in determination. He was steps away from Loptr/Aesir when Damien grabbed him and threw him to the side, shattering their mental connection as he did..

Loptr visibly went paler, and time seemed to slow down.

_What are you doing!? _He could hear Khepri screaming at him. _This will kill you!_

For the first time in his life, he truly ignored her.

_Are you insane? _He could hear Hope pleading with him. _Reconsider this action! Please, Damien!_

He could feel her emotion fluttering. He knew her heart was breaking. He sent a bundle of sorrow to her, and then unlinked their minds.

He saw Jeanne look him in the eyes, and he almost hesitated. Sending a look full of all the love he could muster, he broke their mental connection.

Bayonetta was staring at him in confusion. She knew what was supposed to be happening. Damien ignored her mental prodding and severed her connection too.

The spirit was trying to divert his path, but he was already committed to it. Damien smiled as he stepped in front of the portal.

"I win." He braced himself as he felt the spirit enter his body. Immediately he felt waves of nausea and anger roll through him, and he closed his eyes as his head began to spin. His body began to flare with pain as something began to eat away at his existence, but he ignored it all as he opened his eyes again.

"I win." He said with conviction, letting a small grin grace his features.

Then he disappeared i.n an explosion of white light.

Bayonetta blinked and slowed down to a jog, then stopped altogether. Jeanne stared in confusion, her momentum carrying her into her sister's back, knocking them both down. Balder closed his eyes, then cursed loudly.

"What just happened?" Luka asked, staring at the now open area, perplexed. "Where did they go?"

"Where ever he went, Aesir went with him." Jeanne smiled a small smile as she stood up. "We won."

Bayonetta smiled with relief and turned to face Loki and Luka. Her smile and expression faded at the God's expression. He wore something akin to shock, horror and fear, or all three at once..

"Alright Damien, you can come back now!" Jeanne called out, looking around the mountain. "We won!"

"What's wrong?" Luka asked Loki, kneeling beside the god. "Did we win? We did win, right?"

"We won…" Loki confirmed, but his eyes looked like they had done anything but that. "Well, we could say that."

"Damien? Are you listening to me?" Jeanne's voice continued. "You can come back now. We won!"

Bayonetta walked over to the pair. "Where is he?"

"Damien?" Her voice was now beginning to show signs of panic. "Damien?!"

"When the past is affected, events change." Loki explained. "You should know that."

Bayonetta nodded as horror began to build within her as Balder joined them, his eyes sullen. "What did we change?"

"We changed something in the past to the point that Damien simply ceased to exist." Loki began to cry. "He doesn't exist in this timeline."

Bayonetta pulled one of her guns out and pointed it at his head. "You're fucking with us. Tell us you are lying!"

"DAMIEN!?" Jeanne was in hysterics. Hope collapsed to her knees, her face turning to the floor, her lips tight.

"There's no way we can get him back without doing untold damage to time." Loki pushed the gun aside gently, his eyes full of sympathy. "He's gone. He never existed."

Jeanne screamed. Balder turned sharply to her, but held his tongue. Bayonetta held no such restraint and ran to her Umbran sister, holding her tight.

"You…" The Sage turned back to the young god as the latter addressed him.. "You were supposed to take in the spirit and return to your own time. Then this tragedy would start over again."

"That was the loop, yes. I would go back in time with Loptr as he slowly possessed me into his thrall, igniting the witch hunts and the experimentation program." He nodded, his face growing stony as he remembered his future self's self's actions. "What blasted thing could he have achieved from removing himself from time?"

"Well, Aesir is gone. I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he was trying to achieve." Loki stood up, placing a hand on the catatonic Luka beside him. "Luka; we need to leave."

"He's gone, and we need to leave?" The mortal replied, his tone dull. "Why?"

"The Sovereign One is right." Balder pulled him to his feet. "The world has changed. I can sense it. My Eye can sense it."

"I don't know what has been affected, and I'm not going to know for a long time." Collecting and pocketing his cards, Loki gestured for the two to follow him. "We'll give them two more minutes, and then we absolutely have to leave. This is a strange, new world, and I don't want to be charging around it blind, nor sticking in the open like a couple of stuck pigs."

The Sage glanced at the pair of witches, and his heart broke. They were sobbing in each other's arms, not caring about the world around them. Apprehensively, he approached the pair.

"Cereza…" He began, but then was silenced by the witch in black throwing herself at him, burying herself in his chest. Behind them, Luka had grabbed onto Jeanne's shoulders, and was quietly consoling her.

"You're not going to leave me?" He heard his daughter whisper. "Please don't go…"

"My child." He began to think. Was it worth returning to his time? The portal was still open, but it was beginning to fade as its power began to diminish. He knew the future. He could fix it from the past, without the issue of Loptr altering his brain.

"Please, Daddy." She whimpered. "I don't want to lose you. Not you too."

He couldn't leave her. Not like this. It would break her, to be reunited with her father, then to lose him and her brother in such a short period of time? Considering she had only just recovered from nearly losing her best friend, and was probably still recovering from watching her mother be murdered, it was a wonder she had been able to smile as much as she had been doing so.

"I'm not leaving you." He made his decision as her tear -stained eyes looked up at his in astonishment. "I lost the love of my life yesterday; I'm not losing my greatest creation today either. I will try to be the father to you that you should've had for the last five hundred years, even though you probably don't need me here-"

"Thank you…" Bayonetta smiled as she reburied her face in his chest. "Thank you, Daddy…"

Luka coughed from behind them. The Sage looked over and glared at him.

"Bayonetta, could you not?" His voice was a little strained. "That just sounds weird."

"He's my Daddy, Cheshire." The witch untangled herself and wiped the tears from her face. "I can call him that."

Luka made a strangled noise. "It's making me uncomfortable, okay?"

"Oh." Bayonetta laughed. "You want me to call you Daddy?"

"To what purpose would that serve?" Balder stared at the two of them in confusion. "He is not even related to you!"

"Enough!" Jeanne's voice carried over them. "He's gone… and you are all standing around laughing over a fucking Daddy kink! How can you not…" She covered her face as more tears fell from her eyes. Loki walked over to her and pulled her hands down tenderly.

"Jeanne, we can mourn him later." He gently said, feeding his words some power to persuade her. "We need to get off this mountain right now, because I have no fucking clue what the world is right now, and that is a dangerous thought from the one who created it."

"Hold on." Balder's voice cracked. "You are dating my daughter!?"


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Rodin smirked as he turned to Madama Styx, watching as the demon snapped Gommorah's neck._

"_Well, you certainly handled things." He nodded at her as she shrunk down to his size. "Not with my kinda style, you see?"_

"_Who cares about style? Damien was supposed to help me!" She complained, a smile gracing her features. "What an unchivalrous young man! Leaving a lady to kill a giant demon dog!"_

"_I don't think he intended to; he did have other shit he needed to take care of." He patted on his pocket, feeling the whip within glower at his statement. "And you need to accept your fate, Alruna."_

"_So who gets the whip?" Styx asked. _

"_I think-"_

…

"_Mummy?" The small girl pulled on her dress, trying to catch her attention. "Mummy?"_

"_What is it?" Her mother turned from the stall and glanced down at her. "Can't you see I am shopping?"_

"_Something is wrong." She pointed to the peak of the mountain in the background. "Something is horribly wrong!"_

_That got her attention. "Hey, what's wrong? What's going on up there!?"_

_She opened her mouth to speak, and then the world went black._

…

The witch stared at the new group that walked into the shop with boredom. They were just like every other family, group, tourist, whatever they wanted to be called; plain, boring and unassuming to the eye. Perhaps they were a nuclear family, on a shopping trip. Perhaps they were a bunch of friends, along with a child. Or they were some sort of club, out and about.

Whatever it was, it was suspicious. Perhaps it was their intention to make themselves as normal as possible.

Diane removed her sunglasses and peered at the group at the group a little more thoroughly. There were two males, three females and a kid; a man with shoulder-length brown hair, another with hip-length silver hair, a woman with the same hair style as the previous, a woman who moved awkwardly and gracelessly and a woman with black, pixie-cut style hair. The child was wearing a hoodie and was obscured from her view. The woman in red was covered in make-up, looking more like a doll that a person, and the silver-haired man looked extremely uncomfortable with everything around him, as if he was in an element of complete unknown.

They were really trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, whoever they were. But they clearly had something to worry about.

…

Bayonetta stepped forward, her hands letting themselves be guided during her selection of clothing. They had already figured out that their credit cards worked in this reality, and had decided to restock on literally everything, considering both of their apartments did not exist. Balder, having no money of his own, was simply tagging along for the ride, looking mightily uncomfortable in his new clothing and at the stares of everyone around him.

Jeanne was buried in make-up, and had barely spoken more than five different words since they had departed from the mountain. When she did, her voice was hoarse, and her eyes were dead.

She knew Loki was still deep in meditation, trying to determine what points of history had changed. Balder had questioned whether that was within his skill set, but the boy was confident that he should be able to figure out the present, and then the past.

What was the past? They had managed to figure out that Loptr had been completely erased from time, and Balder's return to the past had not occurred. Which meant the clan wars were never sparked, the Witch Hunts never began.

They had all been incredibly suspicious of everyone.

Luka had the best luck from this situation. Since he was already mortal, he didn't need to blend in. Hell, he already had a job working for a local newspaper agency, getting stories from around Noatun. He had tried to raise their spirits, trying to say that his 'Luka Luck' would eventually move to them.

They all did not have the heart to tell him that his luck would not work. Or extend to them.

Balder was the only one not as affected as the rest of them. But he knew how they felt.

The witch in black clenched her fist in rage. Her brother had done many stupid, indescribably awful things, but this really did take the cake this time. Just why did he think he could solve everyone's problems by sacrificing himself? Why was he so selfish to not discuss his plans with everyone else? Why couldn't he had just let history run its course and not try to solve a problem that didn't need to be fixed?

He just created a million new ones and finally managed to succeed in killing himself.

Being aggressive would not help her case in keeping a low profile. She glanced sideways to Hope, and the angel nodded in return, a small mind control spell cast in the meantime.

She felt it calm herself down, and she refocussed on clothing. She grabbed out a black dress and added it to her mental list of items to buy, once everyone had chosen. She felt Balder move behind her, and then his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"We are not alone."

She took care to not visibly react, and instead began to examine another dress.

"What do you sense?" She asked discreetly. Oh, how she wished she could be a telepath at that moment.

"An Umbra Witch."

She dropped the dress in shock. Quickly reaching down and turning around, she stared intensely at her surroundings. "What do you mean, Umbra?"

"It is the same aura you possess; it is quite distinguishable from a mortal, or other practitioner of our arts." He subtly pointed his head to an Asian girl who was staring at Loki. "That one back there."

Her eyes widened as she recognised one of her Umbran sisters. Well didn't recognise her, but that aura was unmistakeably Umbra.

Now half of their theory was right, wasn't it?

"What do you think this means?" She returned her gaze to her father's face. "That the-"

"Think logically, Cereza. I never returned to the past with Aesir; we cannot have started the witch hunts." Balder nodded, then his eyes shined with hope. "Which means there should be Sages alive as well."

She shook her head. "I don't think that would be the case. Our clans were well on the path to warfare even without Loptr's influence, especially with my existence. You said that yourself."

He bowed his head. "You are probably right. We should leave soon, before one of us is discovered. We all should be wary of a modern Umbra Witch."

Bayonetta nodded, then returned her attention back to the dress, Balder walking away to find Loki.

_The Umbra were still alive?_

She didn't want to think or say what this implied. But she did anyway.

_Was Mummy still alive?_

Hope blossomed within her, and her concentration slipped. Her aura became visible to the world, and then the girl immediately recognised her as well. Her gaze was torn from the boy and stared at her with wide eyes. Their meagre concentration slipped, and her aura shined brightly for all to sense.

Jeanne turned, stared at the witch, then immediately pulled out All 4 One. Hope had the grace and sense to skit over to Loki, and the pair began to calmly make their way out of the shop. The unknown witch summoned out a whip and brandished it, her eyes glowing slightly.

"What in the blazes?" Balder cursed as he stepped in front of Luka. "Who are you? And what do you w-"

"I will be asking the questions here, mortal." The witch interrupted. "Why do you travel with a practitioner of the dark arts?"

"You make that sound like such a bad thing." Bayonetta replaced the dress and put her hands on her hips. "Which is surprising, considering you use the same powers as I do."

"Same powers?!" The witch spluttered. "You are no Umbra Witch, and neither are you!"

"My dear, I am a witch." The witch in black walked forward, noticing how much the younger woman was quivering. "One of the most powerful too, if my memory serves correctly."

"Bayonetta…" Balder's voice stopped her. "We are supposed to be being discreet. Not picking fights!"

"It's not my fault she discovered us!" She retorted, then glared at the witch. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to ask you to come with me to Vigrid and face the Umbran Elder." She answered. "She will determine if you are witches, and from there whether you are acolytes of the Light."

"The Light?" Jeanne whispered, her guns still trained on the woman.

"Oh, you know, the evil and corrupted light? That stuff?" The witch shook her head. "Tell me you know about that."

Balder shared a glance with the retreating Loki, then discreetly gestured for him to run. Hope noticed, and the pair walked out and away. "What makes you think that we are acolytes of this… Light?"

"Because I sensed it in her, and surrounding her." She gestured to Bayonetta, then Jeanne sequentially. "And that is more than enough for me."

Jeanne stiffened, and Bayonetta's temper flared. "Now, little one, you do not get to talk abou-"

"Yes I do, and you are all coming with me." She took a stance, the whip beginning to uncoil by itself. "Unless you want to face the consequences of defying the Umbran rule?"

"The Umbran rule?" Love is Blue fell from the sky, her hands deftly catching the weapons. "Pray tell."

The whip lashed out, and her right gun was yanked from her grip. Cursing, the witch immediately made after it, only to be met with a barrage of strikes from her assailant. Jeanne ran forward to her sister's aid, her guns blazing. Surprisingly, a small barrier popped up from the witch's forearm, deflecting each bullet as they came. Rushing forward with a heel slide, Bayonetta was only just aware of Balder escorting everyone else in the store to safety, and Luka running away from the scene with Loki.

The whip wrapped itself around her leg, and she cursed herself at her inattention. Flying forward, she tried to counter the grab with an afterburner kick, but the witch had seen it coming and flicked her wrist and sent her flying into Jeanne.

"I have them knocked down." The witch pressed a had to her ear, as if she was speaking through an ear piece. "Two subjects, both female, both wielders of the dark arts. Both have been touched by the light. Requesting immediate assistance."

"They really aren't fucking around." Jeanne groaned as she pushed Bayonetta off of her. "More of us?"

"It's definitely the case." Bayonetta answered, launching herself forward, intent on reclaiming her gun. "We need to get out of here and join up with the others."

"Your father is still here." The witch in red stated as she slipped under a crack of the whip, answering with a wicked punch to the air. "Something tells me we shouldn't reveal his true nature yet."

"Then stop talking about it."

They both appraised their opponent as they began to circle each other, now at a stalemate. She was deadly with the whip, and they both knew they didn't stand either alone or with that whip still in her hands.

"Together." Bayonetta nodded, her eyes not moving from the witch.

Then the world span as a wicked backhand slammed into them both, the orange demon retreating back into Inferno. They both crashed into the wall, breaking through it and landing in a heap.

"Well, I was right." Bayonetta groaned. Jeanne grunted in acknowledgement. "We did do it together."

The witch raised her hand again. "The subjects are subdued. Requesting a transport."

She smirked. "Yes, they were easy. Pathetic too. You don't need to-"

A bright light filled the room, and Bayonetta closed her eyes against the glare, her heart sinking at its implication.

"My daughter is not pathetic!" Balder roared, his glaive launching itself at the witch, who barely managed to dodge it. "She has endured more pain than you could in your life!"

"S..s…sage?" The witch was pale with fear. "L-lumen Sage!?"

She began to dodge each attack sluggishly, her emotions beginning to cloud her training. Bayonetta frowned as she stood up, leaning on Jeanne for support. The pair shared a glance, their eyes asking each other the same question. _Wasn't it all supposed to be instinctual?_

"I need backup!" She was screaming into her earpiece now, her terrified words spilling out now. "I need it right now!"

The whip went flying, then the witch went in the opposite direction as the glaive ripped her weapon from her hands, then a kick following it up. The witch screamed as she slammed into the wall, and stayed there, an imprint on the surface.

"Do not dare think to think you will ever understand her pain." Balder pointed his glaive at her, clearly not holding back any more. "Or judge her for it!"

"Please!" The witch was begging. "Send back-up now!"

"I welcome it, Witch!" He leaned in, and the witch began to sob in fear. "You know why? Because there is nothing more dangerous than a man who has nothing to lose!"

"Balder!" Bayonetta ran to his side, grabbing the glaive and pulling it down. "What- no, why?!"

"Get out of here, Bayonetta." He didn't turn to her. "They would be more interested in a Lumen Sage than an unknown Umbra."

"Actually, we are ju-u-ust a-a-as interested in b-b-both." The witch piped up, but was silenced again by a glare from both of them.

"You don't have to risk your life to get us out of here. You are just as important to me as I am to you." Bayonetta argued. Jeanne nodded in agreement, turning to face the entrance of the store.

"We are not finished." Balder threw the girl down, then dismissed his glaive in a flash of light. "We will meet again!"

They walked out, leaving the stunned workers and Umbra Witch behind.

…

"So, you mean to tell me there is a Lumen Sage running around, and his name is Balder?"

Diane nodded. "That's what she said. She called him Balder."

"That name…"

"Madame Elder, is there a problem?" She stepped forward, closer to the woman in front of her.

"Why did it have to be that name?"

"I don't understand…" Diane turned away, a headache beginning to form. "I really don't…"

"It is not your place to understand, child. That name only has meaning to me, and me alone. It is from well before your time."

"Why only to you?"

The Umbran Elder whirled around, her grey eyes cutting into her. Diane flinched, and looked away in respect.

"I want you to find them. I want you to bring all of them here!" The Elder's voice was far more aggressive than normal. "Threat level six. Do whatever you can!"

"Six?!" Diane stepped back. "Two witches and a Sage can't be level six, surely?"

Rosa's eyes hardened. "You have no idea what a Sage can do to a person."

_The End..?_

_Author's Notes:_

_And that's a wrap, folks! _Solar Flare_ is finished, and on a cliff-hanger ending? _

_Sequel-bait!_

_Well, kind of. There will be a large gap between me posting this and the first chapter of _Blood Moon_, the third and final instalment in this particular series._

_However, if you all read the first chapter of _Strength of Heart_, you would have noticed that Jeanne and Rodin turned up. Let's just say that is a giant hint for the next four stories and expect those four before _Blood Moon_._

_Now, Damien isn't dead. That is a plot point that will come up one way or another in _Blood Moon_, but don't worry your pants that the OC is dead. Now, Diane will be a replacement until such time that Damo does become plot relevant again, and she will also be sticking around for a while after that._

_Everything in the coming stories will play a part in the finale to this trilogy. Any detail that may be a part of the finale could be a clue to how it all shapes out, to how it all ends._

_A few questions I'm going to address;_

_Why is Hope now a she when angels are referred to without gender?_

_The longer an Angel spends by itself, the more likely it is for its companions to start associating male/female traits to it. And once that happens, its only a matter of time before the Angel in question starts assuming that gender as well. _

_Is Loptr dead?_

_He's in the same situation as Damien._

_Do Bayonetta and Jeanne still exist in the new timeline?_

_We will find out._

_How come Damien beat Bayonetta and Balder easily? Isn't Balder supposed to be the most powerful of the three?_

_Bayonetta was injured, and Balder was still mourning and reeling from recent events. Neither were in shape or a good state of mind to fight someone who was semi-insane with frenzy. To be honest, it would have been a miracle if Damien somehow lost._

_What did Loki, Luka and Hope get up to?_

_Luka was researching Aesir, Hope began to teach him Enochian and Loki told them to pack their bags and start heading up the mountain. From there, the events of the game played out in a similar fashion._

_I hope you all enjoyed this story, and I will see you next time with _Strength of Heart, Remembrance of Heart, Power of Heart _and _Aversion of Heart!


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